Life Is (not) a Romance Novel
by karivalentina
Summary: AU. Somewhere in another reality, they STILL have a chance. Come along for the journey of a lifetime, see how Fitz and Olivia stand together in the sun as they encounter extraordinary circumstances. OLITZ. AUTHOR'S NOTE PRIOR TO CHAPTER 23. If you're looking for a different fic, a clean break from the angst in the show: NO Jake, NO Mellie, NO Off-Again, On-Again... look no further.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hi, everyone, I've been writing fanfiction for a little over a year. This is my first Scandal fic, hope you enjoy it!

The title for this story comes from season 2, episode 22. Cyrus says to Livvie: _And you, you two are so stupid and romantic and high on your own doomed love, Romeo and Juliet, Dear Diary nonsense that you won't even save your own lives, but I am being dramatic? Romeo & Juliet were teenagers and they died! ... This is not a romance novel. Life is not a romance novel!"_

Romance is my thing, I'm a hopeless romantic... so yeah, that's why I picked this title. Note that the word 'not' is in parenthesis as my way to take the emphasis away from that word. But I love using character quotes for my story titles and _that_ is the complete quote. But of course, I disagree with Cyrus cause life IS a romance novel :)

* * *

_Somewhere in another life, in another reality…We are married…"_

_Fitzgerald Grant III_

When she got on that plane that morning, she had no reason to suspect that this would be nothing but an ordinary flight. And even though flying ranked way low on the list of Olivia Pope's favorite activities (actually, she dreaded it), she was looking forward to heading back home after spending the better part of last week in Australia to celebrate the wedding of her best friend dating back to her boarding school days.**  
**

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Cindy Chandler and I'm your chief flight attendant. On behalf of (Captain Seth Charles Norris) the entire crew, _welcome aboard_ Oceanic Airlines flight 815, non-stop service from Sidney to Los Angeles," chirped a light brown haired woman with a pearly white smile.

After announcing that all cell phones needed to be turned off for the remainder of the flight (which got a few passengers grumbling), Cindy Chandler smoothly proceeded to show the passengers the standard safety demonstration with ease and efficiency, using various hand signals.

"When the seat belt sign illuminates, you must _fasten your seat belt_." She then proceeded to show how to fasten the seat belt. "We suggest that you keep your seat belt fastened throughout the flight, as we may experience turbulence. There are several _emergency exits_ on this aircraft. She then proceed to point forward, to the sides (the wings) and then the back of the plane. "Please take a few moments now to locate your nearest exit. In some cases, your nearest exit may be behind you.

Olivia knew the procedure and did a quick scan of the location and passengers surrounding the emergency exits.

Most of the passengers looked around them with apathetic looks while others did not bother to look.

She shook her head, wondering how could some people be so engrossed in their electronic devices to bother becoming even superficially familiar with their surroundings. In case of an emergency, you would certainly at least need to be acquainted with the person sitting next to you. For instance, what if your seatmate were hard of hearing or had a disability that made it hard for them to understand you? That was just one example that came to mind.

A couple of rows away from the emergency exits, there was a family with particularly rowdy young children towards the back of the middle section of the plane, the kind that makes you REALLY glad they're not yours. But mostly, she felt sorry for the parents who already seemed spent and at the limits of their patience (AND this was a 14 hour flight).

Right then, the stewardess proceeded to show everyone how to use an oxygen mask which invariably triggered the recollection of a particular scene from the movie _Four Christmases_ which was particularly fitting.

Yes. she remembered it every single time she got on a plane. Every. Single. Time.

_Reese Witherspoon: "I'd just like to know you'd be there for me in a time of crisis. Like if we were on a plane and it was going down…I would like to know that you would put mine on (referring to oxygen mask) before you put on your own, you know?"_

_Vince Vaughn: "I wouldn't…the FDA wouldn't want me to either." He says matter of factly. "Have you ever listened to the Stewardess or are you too busy with your blackberry? You're supposed to put your mask on first in case of an emergency before you can help a child or an unfit adult next to you…cause otherwise, I'm passed out and I'm not helping anybody…"_

Just thinking of Vince Vaughn's timely expressions when he says his lines made her chuckle, especially that part about the 'unfit adult next to you. ' Just watching his flawless deadpan delivery she couldn't help but agree with him (not so much about _what_ he says but _how_ he says it) , even though as a woman she could certainly understand where Reese Witherspoon was coming from. The end result was that the scene had become so memorable that she always paid attention to the safety demonstration no matter how many times she'd seen it.

As soon as the flight attendant finished her presentation, Olivia took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She wasn't particularly fond of flying. The hardest part for her was take-off but once they were up in the air it was easier to forget that she was up in the sky where anything could happen and with no possible way out.

As the aircraft soared above the clouds, reaching cruising altitude and passengers were allowed to take off their seat-belts, Olivia opened her eyes with a sigh of relief. After a moment, she lifted the blind that covered her window and looked out into the vastness of the ever timeless sky.

Finally able to relax, she kicked off her Gucci platform pumps underneath that empty floor space in the seat directly in front of hers. There was definitely something about looking out into space that made her mind drift away as if in a dream.

Someone was staring at her.

Olivia looked around her. Right across from her to her right was a 30 something Middle Eastern Man with long wavy hair cascading around his shoulders. He had a short beard and mustache which complemented his dark skin. He met her gaze as soon as she laid eyes on him and his lips stretched into a thin, enigmatic smile.

The man was sitting in the middle seat on the right side of the aircraft. Both seats beside him were unoccupied.

She returned his smile; not wanting him to think that she was interested, she looked around her as if to ascertain her surroundings.

The last thing she wanted was to engage with anyone on any level. She was just getting her life back together after breaking off her engagement to Edison.

Plus she was looking forward to having some down time to think and draft some goals for the near future.

"Mind if I sit here?" A deep baritone voice asked.

Thinking that it was the Middle Eastern guy, Olivia turned with an edgy look on her face. She did not have anything against Muslims (seriously) and she genuinely thought most of them were good people, yet she did not want to spend the rest of the flight worried that she might say something politically incorrect…after all, she was on a flight back to the States…well, let's just say that 911 had taught her that one can never be to careful, especially when traveling…

Besides, did he not get her vibe which clearly spelled out, 'hey I'm being polite here but I'd just like to mind my own business?"

She gazed up to see that there was a man standing by the aisle seat alright.

But he was a different man…a completely different man.

This man had chiseled jawline, broad shoulders and perfect East Coast hairstyle combed back with a generous amount of hair gel.

She gave him a questioning look, _Where did you come from?_

"Sorry to bother you…but I'm officially back there…" he motioned towards the last two rows of the tail section. There was a family of four with two young children squirming in their seats. "My seat is directly in front of them. Judging by the fact that we just took off and the little rascals are already quite a handful…" he smiled ruefully. "Well... I can only imagine how the rest of this flight will go," he shrugged and looked at her with bluish puppy eyes that screamed, _"please save me." _

Right then, one of the children let out a shriek while his parent attempted to grab offending object from his hand. "NO, Jimmy, you may not write on your sister with a marker!"

Everyone on the plane turned in unison to stare at offending little Jimmy and his very distraught parent.

Olivia's gaze met the stranger's blue-gray gaze.

Eyes locked on one another, they smiled beautifully in unison.

Noticing how he was reluctant to take his gaze off hers, she felt irresistibly drawn to that glint of something magnetic which radiated from him... that certain something appeared to be the combination of humor, mischief, passion and a lively sense of adventure.

Perhaps, what drew her in the most was the certainty that when it came to a passionate approach to life, she had definitely met her match.

Funny how other people's misfortune often serves to break the ice.

"Sure, go ahead," she said. "I'm Olivia, by the way," she graciously extended her hand.

"Fitz," he replied shaking her hand.

A spark caught between their palms, shocking them both.

Thrown temporarily off balance, he sank into the aisle seat, his eyes glued on her.

Her gaze briefly dropped to the middle seat between them where she had placed her Prada purse and her white Tory Burch trench coat.

Then, she smiled politely at Fitz before she picked up a magazine underneath her coat. As if on cue, Fitz retrieved one of those awfully boring airline magazines from the front pocket of the seat in front of him.

They made small talk while leafing through the magazines which conveniently served as hand pop, while allowing them to keep their attention focused on each other without coming on too strongly.

Then, about 10 minutes later he sprinted from his seat and said he needed to stretch his legs.

While he was gone, she did her best to avoid eye contact with the Middle Eastern man who kept staring at her from across his seat. Something about that man made her uneasy…hmm…she hoped it wasn't just prejudice on her part. No, that was NOT it. She'd been told more than once that she was fairly open minded by nature. She needed to trust her gut, she decided.

The man was relentless as did not take his eyes off her the entire time…. if indeed he was hitting on her, perhaps he was actually clueless to the fact that he sure came across as rather creepy.

Nonetheless, fueled by a rush of adrenaline, Olivia met his gaze decidedly.

Luckily, it wasn't long before Fitz returned from his excursion towards the front of the aircraft and all thoughts involving Mr. Creepy were long forgotten.

Fitz returned her welcoming smile, unfazed by the fact that he was now stuck behind the flight attendant's snack cart.

She studied him, long and hard as he stood casually clad in a green cable knit sweater, the sleeves pulled back some, his arms folded across his chest in a particularly sexy way.**  
**

Olivia could just picture him as clear as day, adopting that same stance, his masculine essence against a brick fireplace in the middle of winter in a cozy little town somewhere on the East Coast.

Thus, she took a mental picture of him with the brick backdrop (photography was one of her hobbies) and somehow knew right then and there that this would be a picture she would keep forever stored in her mental photo album.

Her caramel eyes adopted a far-away look as the strangest feeling of déjà vu overcame her… as if indeed she had known this man all her life...

**A/N: So, what do you think? Do you know where this story is heading?  
**

**Please leave a review, they help keeping me motivated, **

**Thanks for reading  
**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: **Thanks sooo much to everyone who has reviewed, favorited and followed this story! I do try my best to reply to reviews, so if by any chance you didn't get a reply, just know that I have treasured EVERY single one!**

Whereas the first chapter was told primarily from Olivia's POV, this chapter will be (for the most part) Fitz' POV

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Fitz thanked his lucky stars that this particular flight had not been overbooked and that somehow, there were empty seats here and thus, passengers had the luxury of switching seats for the remainder of the flight.

At one point he had gone back to his own assigned seat to retrieve his briefcase from the overhead bin. He set it down on the floor next to him while he patiently waited for the snack cart to move past Olivia's row. Then, he sat by her side again.

His original plan (before he left Sidney that is) was to use his time wisely and get busy with some very important paperwork. After all, he had 14 long hours to kill.

One look at her and his plans went out the window.

Who was he kidding?

This was just a formality, he realized. There was no way he would be able to get much work done with Olivia seating right next to him.

Olivia…just the sound of her name (in his head) made his head spin.

Who was this woman that had captivated him like no other from the moment their eyes met?

He didn't know much about her…yet her intense brown eyes and caramel skin had captivated him like no other from the moment their eyes met.

Yet there was one thing he felt fairly certain about: this beautiful woman exuded just the right amount of confidence. She was nothing like the women he had previously encountered in his life who either spent considerable amount of time comparing themselves to others and appearing insecure or were just overly aggressive. Olivia stood out from the bunch like a rare gem. She was the kind of woman who was assertive and stood with both feet firmly planted on the ground. This meant that instead of waiting for prince charming to come long so she could live happily ever after, she had decided to _live_ her happily ever after _here and now_.

Sitting next to her, Fitz had lost all sense of everything but Olivia; the fullness of her soft lips or the sleekness of her hair.

He could have told anyone who'd asked exactly how many inches away her long toned legs were away from his ( in his mind he imagined the length of two rulers taped together ) or how many times she crossed/uncrossed her legs and just how high her skirt rose…. every single time. All of which he noticed without making it blatantly obvious to Olivia.

That's when he noticed her questioning look.

Had he missed something she'd said, he wondered.

"I was saying that I would be taking a connecting flight to San Diego. It's only a two hour drive, I know…but…we'll be arriving after midnight."

"My connecting flight is to Santa Barbara. …that's where I live." He smiled. He needed a distraction so that she wouldn't notice how focused he was on her. So, he pressed his fingers on his either side of his square designer briefcase of sturdy leather finish and heavy duty hinges, trying to open it.

That's when she noticed a shiny indentation on his wedding finger which suggested that he'd worn a ring in the recent past.

Had he been married? Was he still married? She mused.

She would find out soon enough.

After rummaging through, he pulled out some papers and set them on top of the flat surface of his briefcase.

"Taxes? Seriously?" She blurted out before she had a chance to censor her words. Working on tax returns was only akin to a visit to the dentist.

He hesitated for a moment. "Yeah, well…I've been putting it off for so long…I figured that right now, I've got no excuse to put it off any longer…"

"Why not leave it up to your accountant?" Her tone was light and with a touch of amusement. "Aw…don't tell me you're actually an accountant and THIS is what you do for fun…" she gave him a pretend mortified look.

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't trust my accountant with my life! Last year, he checked some boxes here and there that flagged my name to the IRS and I've had no peace of mind ever since!"

Olivia turned to him with sympathetic eyes as though she had told him of the death of a relative. "Well, I've certainly heard a good number of IRS horror stories…but, knock on wood, I've actually never had any trouble…"

"Lucky you!" he smiled ruefully. Trust me, once you get audited, your life is never the same again." He shook his head. "Unless you know people in high places…" he trailed off. "Even though _we are the people_, supposedly people like you and me that is. The truth is that's not really how the world works! _The people_ are really those in Washington, those who have the real power!" He concluded in a passionate tone.

"Well… if you're not a politician already, you ought to be." She smirked. "We need more Politicians like you, Mr. Fitz. You should run for mayor or something."

"What can I get you?" Cindy Chandler inquired with a smile worthy of a Crest commercial.

They both looked at her a bit startled as they had both been so wrapped up in each other to notice that the snack cart had finally made its slow progression to their row.

Olivia ordered a glass of red wine and Fitz ordered a dry martini.

She took a sip. It wasn't exactly the finest, but she welcomed the way it warmed up her spirits.

"Have you ever had a dry martini?" he asked.

"I don't like it…it's _almost_ like beer…it tastes like kitty litter."

He laughed. Martinis were nothing like beer. "When was the last time you tasted kitty litter?"

"Haven't you ever look at _something_ and just know how it's going to taste? She remarked with a touch of playfulness.

She was flirting but it was so subtle that it appeared that she was just being sociable.

He found himself smiling, delighted. Did she actually say _something_ or _someone_?

"So what do you really do for a living Mr. Fitz?" she asked while they both nursed their drinks.

"I'm an environmental lawyer." He replied with a smile that could have melted a glacier…perhaps contributed to global warming?

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**A/N: **This chapter was a bit shorter than the first one. I think I'm gonna try to write short chapters like this one so I can update fairly frequently.

if the political parts of the dialogue in this chapter sound familiar is because I took it from the speech that Cyrus gives Olivia (season 2, episode 11). I played with the lines a little bit so they would fit the story. They do have the most interesting conversations, don't they?

**Please keep those reviews coming! They make my day, keep me motivated **_**and writing day & night! **_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Readers: As a newcomer to this fandom, I really appreciate your wonderful support. **

**Guest reviewers: thanks so much for your comments. **One of you asked about the middle eastern man. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about him. We'll learn more later on. I hope you don't mind the slow build-up. For now, Fitz and Olivia are getting to know each other better :)

MyPenCries: Thanks for reading and reviewing

Events from the past will be in italics. POV: Both Fitz and Livvie.

* * *

"Your turn." Fitz said. "What do you do for a living when you're not traveling half way across the world?"

"I'm a family law attorney."

It was a pleasant surprise that they were both lawyers. Although Fitz would never have chosen family law as his field of specialty since it seemed to require that attorneys also perform the duties of a counselor/therapist.

Right then, Cindy and her snack cart rolled the second time around heading back to the stewardess station.

Fitz took the opportunity to ask her for a refill.

"Our policy for serving alcohol is that all refills must be purchased with a credit card of your choice."

Fitz felt like snapping back that he'd never been charged on international flights. But then, bit his tongue and said nothing. He didn't want Olivia to think he was a cheapskate, thus he offered to pay for both of their drinks.

Olivia refused and quickly pulled out her own credit card.

Once their drinks were served and Cindy went back to her station, Fitz and Olivia continued their conversation.

"Well…family law" Fitz let out a sign and shook his head."That's a tough field. Finances and emotions don't mix well. There are no winners in divorce cases."

"Tell me about it. There was this case of a client of mine. She had a beautiful name: Rosa. From the minute I saw her walk into my office with her shoulders hanging low and a hunted look in her eyes, I knew I had to help her." She sipped her drink. "I couldn't let her walk out of my office and have another lawyer take her case." She shook her head. "There are way too many sharks out there…and she was just gonna be as good as dead."

"So what did you do?" He inquired, giving her his full attention.

"I took her in as a pro-bono." She said proudly. "Most of my colleagues disagreed with my decision, told me I would get a 'bad' reputation." No one takes charity cases in family law. However, Olivia had an inbred sense of justice that often took precedence over everything else.

"Bad reputation?" he repeated, amused. "You mean you would give them a bad rap for helping others? Maybe instigate a new wave of bad lawyer jokes?

"By the way, do you have any idea of how many lawyer jokes are already out there?"

"Yes, there are only three. The rest are true."He quickly answered.

"Hey, you beat me to the punch line," her voice was jovial and playful.

"Sorry…forgot to mention that I collect lawyer jokes and post them on the bulletin board in my office."

They nodded and shared a smile.

"So, any way, what happened with Rosa?"

"Her husband brought her from South America as a mail order bride…found her name and address in a catalog. This was back in the day before the bloom of the virtual age of e-mails, Google and sex tapes. Their romance actually consisted of handwritten letters just like in Colonial days," she smiled. "She was incredibly young and naive to say the least...she married him only a few days after meeting him."

"Let me guess…their happily ever after was actually laced with lies and deceit."

"Well…actually there were worse things that his philandering ways. Rosa was handpicked to be his little slave."

Rosa's rose colored glasses had prevented her from realizing that her knight in shinning armor was really a Dr. Jekill and Mr. Hide. For nearly 15 years she relied exclusively on her husband to drive her places. Moreover, she wasn't allowed to have friends or leave the house without his permission until the day she finally decided to toss the glasses and file for divorce.

"Eventually, Rosa came to realize that she was not the star of romance novel ...and that there would be no happy ending." Olivia said.

Olivia made it her mission to do everything in her power to make sure that Rosa got to stay in the family home, a decent amount of alimony (she had no job skills) and primary custody of the children.

Fitz took a deep breath. "I just went through a divorce myself…" he confided with ease as though he and Olivia had known each other for years.

"Oh," Olivia arched her brow.

"Nothing much to say… Just your typical _War of the Roses_ except worse." He shrugged, rueful smile. Although, his divorce was not officially quite over yet since Mellie had yet to sign the marital settlement agreement, the point was that she had agreed to it (after months of back and forth negotiations) prior to him leaving the States. Thus, as far as he was concerned that chapter of his life was over.

"I've never been married, but my experience with clients has been that it's never easy," she offered. "Especially whenever there are children involved." She added this last comment matter of factly without appearing as though she was prying. The fact was that she cared and she found herself hoping against hope that there had been no children involved.

"My ex and I have a daughter…her name is Karen and she's the brightest kid I've ever seen. She's just started 4th grade, she skipped a grade . Not to brag or anything, but she's just everything any parent would want." He took a deep breath, and the brightness in his eyes dulled when he spoke again. "For years, we tried holding it together for her sake. It just never works, you know….sooner or later you reach the end of your rope."

His mind flashed back to the day when he and Mellie decided to divorce.

"_You can't be serious!" fitz yelled. "It's absolutely out of the question!"_

"_I thought you would be happy for me…Stanford and Sons is a prestigious firm, it's just amazing that they would even consider hiring me for their firm!" Mellie said._

"_Yeah…except…" he shook his head, exasperated. "We're not uprooting our family to Washington…and that's final!" _

"_Now, Fitz, don't you go Ricky Ricardo on me!"_

_Fitz ran his hand over the back of his neck. It was so like Mellie to divert his attention when he was flustered and frustrated. Granted that it was an attempt on her part to lightened up the mood, but he certainly didn't appreciate her insistence on equating their lives to those of a TV show. _

_Now Mellie was a huge fan of I love Lucy. She watched every episode ever made at least 10 times. _

"_Oh, for heaven's sake, Mel! Our marriage is not an episode of I love Lucy. For starters, you're the antithesis of the American housewife." _

"_So that's what really bothers you, Fitz…" Mellie proclaimed with a triumphant tone. "Why don't you go ahead an admit it for once, that you just don't want me to be successful, It's just too much for your fragile male ego!"_

_It wasn't that he was opposed to her success. It was more like she was way too competitive for his liking. _

"_I'm sorry I'm not your Mr. McDreamy!" he said this in reference to Grey's Anatomy, another one of Mellie's favorite shows. Not that he watched the show much, but he knew the basics as Mellie was an avid fan. "But you're no Meredith either….if anything, your more like Addison Montgomery." _

_A quizzical look flashed through her features which quickly turned to outrage. She didn't like the implication. After all, Addison's marriage to Mr. McDreamy had ended in divorce. _

"_Fine, you wanna divorce me, well go ahead!" Mellie blurted before she could censor her own words. _

"_OK, if that's what you want, then, FINE!" _

"_FINE!" she shouted back. _

Apparently, once the word 'divorce' starts getting tossed around like that there is no turning back.

Fitz and Mellie never reconciled after that and their respective lawyers took care of the rest.

"I'm sure Karen is adorable." Olivia stated which brought Fitz back to the present in two seconds flat. "I've never been married or had children…although, I'm open to the possibility." She remarked wanting him to understand that being a family law attorney had in no way embittered her against marriage and starting a family.

Right at that moment, the creepy man (whom she had nearly forgotten) was making his way back from the restroom back to his seat.

Olivia felt a shiver down her spine as she felt the stranger's eyes fixed on her the entire time.

**A/N: Please review :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**  
Cleo: Sorry for the confusion. The creepy man is the Middle Eastern man from chapter 1. I've used different adjectives to describe him since I have not given him a name

I do have a reason for not giving him a name just yet. So bear with me here. I do like to have a little mystery here and there in my stories. Can't help it. All the stories I've ever written sooner or later wind up having a little intrigue even when I don't intentionally start out writing them that way :)

I'm also known for my long winded author- notes that sometimes spin-off into little stories. Can't help those either (have tried support groups and all). Just thought you should know Anyhow, readers flock from other fandoms just to read them (just kidding).

Italics: Past events.

* * *

Now that Olivia had taken a better look at the Middle Eastern man as he walked towards her (previously, she had seen his face mostly from a side profile), it dawn on her that she had seen this man before.

Australia. A few days earlier.

_Olivia went to see a play at the Sydney Opera House along with her friends Jenny (white) and Anika (African American). She had known both women since back in boarding school. Jenny was getting married in a couple of days to an Australian and who had convinced her to make Australia her home. Olivia and Anika were her only friends from the States willing to travel such a long distance to attend her wedding. _

"_C'mon, Livvie, don't be such a party pooper," Anika complained. "The night is still young, we can't leave just yet!" she whined, her eyes scanning the bar for some action. But there seemed to be no cute guys in sight. Then, she turned to Jenny. "You must be the only bride in the world who would rather watch a play than have a real bachelorette party!"_

_They had just watched a dramatic performance in the main theater and were now sitting outdoors having drinks at the Opera Bar enjoying the spectacular views of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge._

"_Stop it, Anika!" Olivia scolded. "You know it's not by choice…Jenny doesn't really have any friends in Sydney. It's really insensitive for you to continue rub it in at every chance you get!" She suspected that Anika was there because she thought traveling to another continent would be a fun adventure and not necessarily to support their friend. "Besides, we don't have to get passed out drunk to have fun!_

"_Well, I sure don't want to leave just yet!" Jenny reiterated motioning for the waiter to bring her another cocktail. _

"_This is your third one, Anika!" Jenny shook her head and frowned her disapproval._

"_You need to lighten up, girlfriend!"Anika spat back._

"_I have a meeting with my wedding planner in the morning," Jenny said._

"_That's okay, Jen. You go on home. I'll stay with her for a little bit then we'll catch a taxi back to the hotel." Olivia reassured her friend. _

_Jenny left the bar shortly afterwards._

_A few minutes later, a guy Anika had been flirting with approach their table. Eventually, the guy left them alone. Anika accused Olivia of chasing him away. _

_"You're not in any condition to make any decisions," Olivia said seeing her friend was as drunk as a skunk._

_Somehow, eventually they left the Opera House. By then, it was close to midnight and raining hard. _

_They waited outside for a taxi. But it was pouring hard and windy. They were soaked by the time they spotted a taxi._

_Olivia and Anika both ran, shivering, cold and drenched, motioning with both arms for the taxi driver to stop._

_That's when Olivia noticed a man, an Arab looking man a few steps ahead of them. It appeared as though the cab driver was going to stop for him. _

"_Hey, he's stealing our cab!" Anika roared. _

_Then, the cab driver did something unexpected: he put his vehicle in reverse and stopped right before Olivia and Anika._

"_Sweet!" Anika exclaimed excitedly. "It pays to be a woman in this country!" she added, glad that the cab driver had picked them instead of the man._

"_I hailed him first!" the Arab man yelled back, outraged._

_The women wasted no time getting inside. _

_Out of the corner of her eye, Olivia caught sight of the Arab man standing in the rain, glaring after them._

_However, she quickly put him out of her mind, glad to be inside the cab and looking forward to relaxing in the Jacuzzi tub as soon as they got back to the hotel._

Presently, somehow, the man's behavior made more sense now.

It stood to reason that he had recognized her.

She gave herself a mental slap. She usually never forgot a face no matter how brief the encounter. But then again, she'd had quite a bit to drink at the bar, so maybe…

Anyhow, it appeared that he was still angry that she had stolen his cab. She shook her head in disbelief. Seriously, wasn't this a small infraction to say the least?

But people often lose the capacity to be reasonable…especially when they feel personally offended. Otherwise, cases of road rage would be completely unheard of.

She decided she would not give the matter any further thought.

"I'm guessing then… you haven't been married before," Fitz asked Olivia. He had noticed her state of distraction. He hoped it wasn't something he'd said…or worse, that she was bored with him.

"Oh, no…heavens no!" she stated a little too emphatically, scrambling to get her train of thought back to the present. There wasn't much to say, really. "I almost did tie the knot once…but I broke it off…Edison was great, really. It's just that there was something missing…a certain spark, if you know what I mean," she gave him a charming smile. There had been more, actually…come to think of it Edison had suffocated her with his bouts of jealousy and his possessiveness. But of course, she decided to keep that piece of information to herself. No need to bring up any negativity.

Fitz found himself returning her smile with the sheepishness of a school boy who had just experienced the girl he'd been secretly admiring finally notice him.

"It all works out for the best, it always does."

"I guess we never know what life has in store for us." She said with a sparkle in her eyes. "I think that's what makes life such a great adventure…our luck can change from one minute to the next, sometimes when we least expect it."

Leaning in closer to her, Fitz focused on her face, captivated by her seamlessly perfect features, her bone structure other women would die for.

"Any man will be lucky to have you," he murmured. _Wait. think. Maybe that was a bit can do better than that, Fitz. "_I mean, to have YOU choose him._" That was better. She has the power. "_Any man would be lucky to have you choose him." he reiterated. The implication being that she could have the pick of the litter (of available men) if she wanted.

She bit her lip. Then, she gave him her best smile.

_Every minute of every day, he would be lucky to have her._

_"_Fitz.._." _she started. "Ah...I need to use the ladies room." she said, her tone light and coy.

Since he was sitting in the aisle seat, she would need to go past him.

"Of course," he gallantly stood up to the side so she would have room to go around him.

Olivia gathered her purse and glided to a standing position, so close to him that their bodies nearly touched.

Spellbound, she stared up at his face. The way he was looking at her made her weak in the knees, especially the way his grayish blue eyes focused on her lips.

_Too bad we're on a plane_, he mused. Otherwise, those visions in his mind of what it would be like to make love to her would have a better chance of becoming a reality.

"Excuse me," a passenger squeezed past them, which gave Fitz the perfect excuse to slither closer to her so that their bodies were now lightly brushing against each other.

His fingertips reached out to touch her arm. It was a bold gesture, he knew. They'd just met. But he had this burning desire to establish some kind of physical contact with her...almost as much as he needed air to breathe.

Much to his relief, she did not pull away from his touch, rather, her body seemed to melt. He saw it in her eyes, that wanton need which seemed to transcend time and space so all that mattered was the two of them...as if the whole universe as they knew it had ceased to exist to include them and nothing else...no one else but them.

"Olivia," he breathed her name.

"Call me Liv, most of my friends call me..." she trailed off, her voice soft like the melody of a love song, needing to reciprocate the intimacy of his fingers tips caressing her arm which continued to send little jolts of sensations throughout every cell in her body.

A woman behind Fitz cleared her throat. "Excuse us," she said a little apologetically. She had two young children in tow and did not want to be rude and bump into them as they made their way back to their seats.

The spell was broken.

Olivia and the woman exchanged a knowing smile.

"Hmm...I...I'll be right back," she told fitz.

"Sure." he nodded.

She quickly turned towards the restrooms at the back of the aircraft, her heart beating fast. She had never felt such a powerful attraction for a man, any man for that matter.

After a couple of minutes waiting by the restroom door, a couple came out of the restroom with their hair and clothing a bit out of place. They were young, both blond and bore a certain resemblance to each other...almost as though they could be related.

Although, Olivia strongly suspected they weren't related to each other.

They smiled at her and she smiled back.

Once she was inside the restroom re-applying her makeup , her thoughts wandered back to Fitz...

She thought of checking her purse to make sure she had brought back with her her birth control pills. She had been taking them faithfully for years as her doctor thought it would help relieve troublesome PMS symptoms. The added benefit was that she would always be prepared should the unexpected happen. Olivia hated the idea of finding herself with an unplanned pregnancy. She was a woman of tightly scheduled calendars. Although she would love to have children one day, it had to be under the right circumstances: namely planned circumstances.

With an enormous sense of relief, Olivia realized that she had indeed packed her birth control pills and not left them behind in her hotel room as she had feared.

**A/N:**

**Please keep on reviewing!** I'm currently writing TWO other stories for TWO other fandoms. So, I'm busy, busy, busy. Your reviews help keep the writing muse focused on this story.

Thanks! You guys are the best!


	5. Chapter 5

Just when Olivia was thinking of gathering her purse and leave the restroom, her phone beeped indicating a new text message.

It was from her friend Anika who had decided to fly to Paris in a European tour rather than come back to the States with Olivia.

"R u flying yet?" it read.

"Y." Olivia was about to put her phone back in the front pocket of her purse when on second thought she decided to continue typing. "Be careful." She admonished, knowing her friend's tendency to get into trouble. "Watch your bags at all times & don't sleep with anybody."

"I will, mommy," Anika typed back.

Olivia chuckled. "I met somebody."

"On the plane?"

"Y. He lives in CA too!" Olivia nearly giggled. She couldn't believe her luck.

Right then, she heard a knock on the door; someone waiting to use the restroom.

She quickly exited and walked back towards her seat, smiling from ear to ear and with a certain spring in her step.

All of a sudden, something shiny caught her eye and made her slow down: Handcuffs binding the wrists of a female.

The woman in question hid her hands under a blanket when she saw Olivia's quizzical gaze as she strode past her. She appeared to be in her twenties, fairly attractive and nothing in her expression betrayed the fact that she was a criminal. In other words, she appeared to be an ordinary passenger.

The man sitting beside the woman nodded at Olivia in a serious stance. He must be the air Marshal, she decided. Most flights had a federal agent disguised as a regular passenger and liked to keep their status as a secret from the other passengers. Some of them are regularly assigned to fly on certain flights as a way to combat terrorist attacks, and others travel to transport criminals. Obviously, this was the case here. Olivia would have never known that he was the air Marshal had she not seen that he had a prisoner in handcuffs.

"I'm back," noting that Fitz was resting, she spoke quietly.

Fitz opened his eyes and greeted her with a smile.

There was a pillow and blanket neatly folded across her seat.

"It's cold" She said draping the blanket across her body.

"It's company policy to keep the aircraft at just above freezing temperatures at all times." Fitz murmured with a smile, leaning his head back on the head rest.

"No wonder," she smiled while snuggling against the pillow and the blanket. "It feels like ad damn freezer!"

For the next hour or so, Fitz and Olivia alternated between talking quietly and staring at the movie screen which was playing a movie but since neither of them were wearing headsets so they weren't really paying much attention to the plot.

It wasn't long before most of the passengers had either dozed off or looked as though they were about to fall asleep.

They'd been flying for nearly five hours and Olivia was starting to feel tired. It was still early in the day, so it must be that the motion of the aircraft was lulling her into a sleepy state.

A while later, Olivia woke with a start, her heart pounding fast.

Not sure whether Fitz was awake or not since his eyes were closed and he seemed in a peaceful state, she glanced down at her gold Movado wrist watch.

It seemed she had been asleep for a little over 2 hours.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and turned to gaze at her with his head still resting on the headrest. "Are you okay?" he asked, noting the haunted look on her face.

"Aw…I just had this dream, you know one those where you're falling and falling."

"Oh, yes. I've had my fair share of those. I always dream that I'm in this building that's on fire or something and I need to find the elevator but then I take the stairs and I keep rolling down and down, no end in sight."

"This one was a little worse that." She sighed, taking a deep breath. "I saw myself sitting here so I thought I was awake…you were next to me just like now," she smiled a little at this part. "But then, suddenly the plane was going down," she swallowed hard. "It's was bad…people around me where screaming, bleeding…and I was in the middle of a field laying on my back, paralyzed."

Fitz gave her apologetic look, as though he himself had been responsible for her bad dream.

"Well…come to think of it, it was not a field, it was the middle of a jungle…" she cocked her head just so, as if trying to recall further details.

"You mean…the plane crashed on an island or something?"

She nodded. "Yes, I think so."

They had been so absorbed in their conversation that they didn't notice Cindy Chandler in the middle of the isle staring at them with a quizzical expression.

"What would you like, sir, ma'am? Grilled chicken or grilled fish?" she asked with a practiced smile, holding a meal tray in each hand.

Both Olivia and Fitz ordered a chicken meal.

Fitz made a face after taking his first bite. "Nothing like airline food to lift our spirits, " he noted with sarcasm.

"When I was young, my daddy used to take me to trips around the world a few times a year," Olivia stated rather fondly. "This was after my mother died of cancer. Those trips were wonderful, I think they helped us heal…I used to love airplane food back then…in fact, meal times were one of the things I enjoyed the most. I kept the napkins, silverware or anything else I could get my hands on as souvenirs." Her eyes adopted a far away look, lost in the memories. " Funny how I would remember this as the highlight of our trips rather than the places we traveled to…"

"I lost my mother too…" Fitz stated in between bites. He continued eating even though he didn't care much for the food on his tray. "She was in a car accident when I was 10. She died instantly so I was never able to say good-bye." He concluded rather suddenly. He was going to add a few things about his father but quickly recanted. He didn't feel like talking about his father, a hardened man with the heart of a stone. No matter how hard he'd tried, nothing was ever good enough... his expectations were simply impossible to meet.

"Sorry to hear about your mom," Olivia said sympathetically. "It must have been hard to suffer a sudden loss like that."

Fitz appreciated her kind words. "Sorry about your loss too," he added, suddenly realizing he needed to reciprocate the sentiment. "It seems like we have a lot in common, Liv. We're both lawyers, we both lost our mothers at a young age, we're both only children and…. we both hate airline food with a passion," he added with a smirk, pushing his tray away as a signal that he was done.

Olivia smiled to herself. Even though he wasn't exactly hilariously funny, his sense of humor brought a smile to her lips every time.

Shortly afterwards, a different flight attendant stopped to pick up their food trays.

Fitz and Olivia were engaged in another lively conversation when an announcement over the intercom system caught their attention.

"Flight attendants/Cabin crew, please be seated."

The seat belt sign was now turned on and the aircraft jostled and jolted.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Captain has turned on the **fasten seat belt sign**. We are now crossing a zone of turbulence. Please return your seats and keep your seat belts fastened. Thank you."

All the passengers returned to their seats and fastened their seat belts.

After a few moments, Fitz turned to Olivia, "don't worry, this happens all the time …about halfway across the pacific."

Olivia felt a strange feeling on the pit of her stomach at the sight of someone's coffee spilled on the ceiling. In a matter of seconds this feeling turned into panic as she realized that this turbulence was decidedly more severe than anything she had experienced before.

Her gaze locked to his in a meeting of souls, fingers interlocking, both struggling to keep panic at bay.

At one point she let go of his hand and held on tight to the arm rests. The aircraft was dropping in altitude although she had no idea how many feet. She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer, hoping against hope that everything would be alright.

**A/N:** Please leave your comments. Promise I won't leave you hanging for long!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** **Thanks to all that have reviewed, favorited and/or followed this story thus far. Please answer the survey question at the end of this chapter. Your opinion is important to me.  
**

* * *

The following day, Olivia awoke with a monster headache. The first thing she saw was Fitz' face hovering over hers.

"Liv, Liv, how are you feeling?" his voice was laced with worry and concern.

Olivia blinked a few times, a sliver of sunlight bathing her pupils. Everything seemed sort of fuzzy. "Wh-where?" words were coming slow, it was as if her mind was in state of fog.

"The plane crashed," he said, sorry to be the bearer of bad news. "You've been out most of the time. You've had your moments of lucidness but I could tell that it was as if you were not fully aware of what was going on."

She saw herself laying on a blanket and was vaguely aware of another blanket bunched up supporting her head like a pillow."I...I can't move!" she stammered in a state of panic, her brain in high gear now.

Fitz couldn't think of any reason why she would be paralyzed, as she had not appeared to have sustained any significant injuries. Except...

"Are you having any difficulty breathing?" he knelt beside her and studied her closely.

She took a deep breath. "No...I'm okay...I think," she replied after a moment.

"Calm down, Liv. I'm sure it's nothing." he stood up abruptly. _"_I'll be right back, let me get you some water..."

Out of the corner of her eye she caught some rays streaming through."NO, NO! don't leave me alone!" That's when Olivia realized that a makeshift tent draped over some tree branches was the only thing protecting her from the elements.

"It's gonna be okay,Liv" he began in a soothing voice. "There's other people here too...and there are some supplies to keep us until help comes," he continued in an optimistic tone. "The black box...I'm sure a rescue chopper will spot us, we just have to sit tight and stay calm."

Olivia thought she would have no trouble with the 'sit tight' part given her condition. It was the 'stay calm' part that would be troublesome.

Fitz turned his body in a certain way which caused him to wince.

"Fitz, you're hurt!" her eyes widened at the sight of his leg which had a bloody shirt wrapped around it in a knot. "How bad is it?"

"It's not as bad as it looks, trust me! You should see the others...far worse injuries! some have lost family members," he swallowed hard. "But the human spirit is remarkably resilient! We are made to survive even in the most extreme circumstances..."

"How many...are there?"

"Maybe 30...or 40.." He shrugged. "Let me go get you some water, maybe something to eat." his eyes softened when he look at her face, lost and vulnerable. "I would carry you if I could, believe me...but as it is, is hard enough to walk..."

"You need a doctor, it could get infected, you know..."

"One of the survivors is a doctor...he's got his hands full, though." he shook his head. "He's treating the most critically injured..."

"Fitz..." she tried to move her arm and reach out to him, but found to her horror that the only part of her body she could move was her head.

Noticing her struggle, Fitz was quick to state that he would be getting the doctor to see her as soon as possible. "Sorry, Liv, gotta go," he walked a few steps and then turned to face her. "I'm not going that far..."

As soon as he said that, they heard voices approaching.

"Hey, hey, I need some help over here!" Fitz called out.

A few feet away, there was young woman and an overweight (over 300 pound) man involved in some sort of discussion.

"What seems to be the problem?" the woman asked Fitz.

"My girlfriend here needs the doctor... have you seen him?" _Girlfriend?_ he had no idea how that slip of the tongue came about.

"The doctor is by the wreckage," the overweight man said. "At least last time I saw him. Oh, and there is this guy hoarding supplies...he's sort of a jerk, but If I were you I would get over there and get what you can...before it's all gone!" he shrugged. "I'm Hurley, by the way,"

Fitz nodded. "I'm fitz..." he gazed at Olivia. "And this is Liv. She can't move but has no visible injuries."

Hurley and the woman turned to Olivia with a half smile as a way of a greeting.

"I'm Kate," the woman said.

"Kate," Fitz started with an urgent tone, "Would you stay with Liv while I'm gone?"

Kate shrugged "Sure."

Olivia opened her mouth to speak but then changed her mind. At once, she recognized Kate from the plane...she was the prisoner that had been sitting next to the marshal in handcuffs.

After reassuring Olivia one more time that he would be coming back as soon as possible, Fitz headed out towards the plane wreckage in the company of Hurley. As he walked away, he could no longer ignore the possibility of a spinal injury. It's the only thing that made sense really, after the way he'd found her after the crash, laying on her back in a field of greenery many feet away from the wreckage. Yet, for the longest time he'd refused to entertain the thought, staying mostly by her side, not wanting for her to wake up and find herself alone.

He strode along the dry sand in a brisk pace in spite of the acute pain in his lower leg, all he could think about was that he had to do everything in his power to make sure Olivia was going to be okay.

"So you can't move at all, huh?" Kate inquired in a sympathetic tone while sitting down by Olivia towards the corner of the blanket.

Olivia decided that given her condition, perhaps this was not the right time to bring up what she knew about her.

"Did you ever watch _Gilligan's Island?_" Kate said as a way of making small talk.

"I hope this is not your way of telling me we are now castaways," Olivia's lips turned up into a half smile, appreciating Kate's gesture. Maybe a little light-hearted humor was all she needed to cope with this horrible situation. "And that somehow, we'll get visited by a host of guest stars that just 'happen' to drop by our little deserted island...yet we ourselves never manage to get back to civilization."

Kate chuckled. "Well...I tell you one thing...don't expect to see Zsa Zsa Gabor turning up around here anytime soon!"

**A/N:** I have a confession to make: In this story, Fitz and Olivia's plane has just crashed on the same mystery island from the the show LOST. Now, this story will be about Fitz and Olivia. The lost characters are merely there as an extra source of entertainment, no need to have watched the show to follow. There will still be romance in this story (lots of it) but FROM THIS POINT ON, with the added twist of adventure. Now if I was writing your standard OLITZ stranded on an island fic, that would be: BORING. But in this fic, they will be interacting with a host of interesting characters complete with exciting adventures.

MAKE NO MISTAKE, THIS STORY IS ABOUT OLITZ: THEIR FEELINGS, EXPERIENCES AND ACTIONS IS THE MAIN FOCUS!

Now, I got a big favor to ask: When I first posted this fic, I was undecided as to how to write the story description. So, would you please answer he following survey? It would really help me out here.

**_Please vote for (1)one of the following options:_**

A) The story description should definitely state that they crash on an island AND that it will feature characters from LOST. It's the fair thing for new readers.

B) Leave the story description as it is. I think it's more interesting for readers to discover this twist as they read.

C) OTHER (you fill in the blank)

**_If you've been following this story and have never reviewed_**AND are reading this on a digital device AND it's a pain to type with a stylus: _**Then, at least vote for a letter (A,B or C)**_

_**LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD, EVERY REVIEW COUNTS, EVERY VOTE COUNTS!.**_** I WILL TAKE EVERYONE'S OPINION IN CONSIDERATION.**

**If you like this story, please favorite and/or follow. This goes a long way in showing your support, especially at this point when its neeeded the most . Thank you** (I really hope you've enjoying this story).


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:**

Okay, so here I was typing this new chapter and then reviews kept coming AND coming...every time one came in, I had to keep on writing...so that's how this chapter is here so fast when I hadn't even plan on finishing until tomorrow.

Guys, thanks so much for voting!

The hardest thing to write is a good story description that matches readers to the right story. Every story has a reader and by the same token, not all readers like the same story.

okay, so I tallied up the votes, and so far option B (leave description as it it) is winning!

**Stay tuned for there is another survey at the end of the chapter, YAY!**

Some of you had some questions about this story, so let me clarify somethings:

I) This story will not be bogged down by Lost canon. In fact, since it's AU many things will be different.

II) Lost ending: Will have nothing to do with this story. _I'm merely using the island and characters to suit this story._

III) no time traveling.

IV) Lost had many character deaths but since I'm not a big fan of angst I will not be dwelling on this. Therefore, you will not find anything overly intense (that makes you crawl under your bed in utter despair) in this fic.

V) Funny streaks: if anything, from time to time I'll be trying to insert some humor whenever I can :D

* * *

xxx

Fitz and Hurley were heading towards higher ground and moving away from the beach where they'd left Olivia and Kate behind.

Judging by the position and relentless heat of the sun, it appeared that it was close to noon or shortly thereafter. Fitz, wiped the sweat off his forehead and unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt.

As they walked, he thanked god that he had put on his most comfortable pair of jeans for the trip rather than a dressy pair of slacks. He had discarded his green cardigan sweater a long time ago since it was obviously too warm for this tropical island weather.

"Hey, wait up," a man of color called to them. Next to him was a boy, about ten years old.

"Have you seen my dog?" the boy addressed both Fitz and Hurley. "Haven't seen him since we boarded the plane."

Fitz shook his head. He could just picture the dog crushed underneath some rubble as clear as day, which was extremely likely given that pets were usually confined to the luggage compartment. Thus, he couldn't imagine how the dog could have survived the crash or broken out of its carrier.

"What's that?" Fitz asked the boy who was now twirling around a pair of handcuffs.

"Just found them. They're not mine, " he smiled. "Finders keepers though!"

Just then, they all reached an area where a larger group of survivors were gathered watching a fight between a white man with a very distinct Southern accent and the Middle Eastern man.

"You're the prisoner!" The Southerner pointed an angry finger at the Middle Eastern man. "The boy showed me the handcuffs," he motioned to the child and everyone turned to look at him.

A man (short hair, early thirties) stepped in and broke off the fight.

"That's Jack, the doctor," Hurley whispered to Fitz.

"Listen, everyone! A group of us went to the cockpit and found this transmitter radio but it's not working. Anyone here knows how to fix it?" he looked out to the crowd. "We're just a step away from rescue if we can get this thing working."

"I can give it a try," the Middle Eastern man offered.

"Yeah, perfect! Let's just trust this guy!" The southerner replied with sarcasm.

"Hey, we're in this together, let's try to get along," said Hurley.

"Shut up, Mambo Jumbo!" The Southerner yelled back.

Jack ignored the Southerner and gave the transmitter to the Middle Eastern man. Fitz and Hurley gathered around them.

"Where did you learn how to fix these?" Jack asked.

"I was a communications officer. I fought in the gulf war," he said while his hands expertly took the transmitter apart.

"No way!" Fitz exclaimed. "I also fought in the war. My plane got shot down in Operation Remington!" He took a long look at the Middle Eastern man. "What are you? Army? air force?"

"The republican guard," the Arab man stated matter of factly.

Fitz' eyes widened. So this man fought for the enemy forces?

"The battery will not last long," the Middle Eastern man paused while considering all available options. All three men watched him intently. The transmitter seemed to be their best bet to getting rescued at this point. Otherwise, no one knew how long it would take. "Another thing we could try is to pick up a signal from up high."

All four of them looked up at the mountains surrounding them in the distance.

"Okay. We'll get you a group to hike with you," Jack said in an authoritative manner. "Right now, I gotta go back to the marshal, he's in bad shape, don't know if he'll make it. "

"Jack!" Fitz stopped him in his tracks. "I'll go with you."

"Me too," Hurley hurried behind them.

The marshal was laying down underneath a tree, drifting in and out of consciousness. He had severe injuries across his torso and stomach.

Fitz helped to hold down the marshal while Jack operated on him. Hurley stood back as he claimed that the sight of blood would make him pass out.

"After this, I need you to come with me, Jack. My girlfriend needs help," Fitz stated in a tone that was right in between a request and a clear expectation.

"What seems to be the problem?" Jack asked while still tending to his patient.

"She's paralyzed. Can't move from the neck down. No visible injuries, though. "

"Is she breathing okay?"

"Yes. Checked her pulse too."

"Will do the best I can...but you do realize there's people with severe injuries popping out to and fro."

"I can be your best assistant," Fitz offered, holding the marshal down while Jack continued to work on the marshal's injuries.

"Where is she?" the marshal awoke, suddenly lucid.

"Who?" Jack inquired.

"The woman...she's dangerous! " the marshal then directed Jack to look in his jacket pocket for an important piece of paper.

Jack unfolded the paper. It was a picture of Kate.

Fitz, Jack and Hurley stared at the photo, speechless.

Once again, the marshal lost consciousness.

"Is there such a thing as temporary paralysis?" Fitz asked after a few moments while Jack continued to suture the wounds.

Seeing that his patient was temporarily stabilized, the doctor stepped back some and wiped sweat off his forehead. "Periodic paralysis? hmm...yeah, there are several types, mostly related to potassium intake. "

Fitz breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever this condition was, it had to be infinitely better than a spinal injury. "So, how long will it last before she goes back to normal ?"

"I can't really diagnose her without examining her," he took a deep breath and started gathering his medical supplies in a makeshift medical bag. "But in general, periodic paralysis is a rare gene mutation sometimes exacerbated by stress...and it's hard to say, but it could last days."

Fitz looked to Hurley who had been watching from a distance. "Will you stay with the Marshal while the doc is out to see Liv?"

Hurley Shrugged. "Sure, Dude" Then, he turned to Jack. "He's not gonna die on me or anything, right?"

"No, Hurley. He's stable for now. "Jack walked over to Hurley and gave him a slight pat in the shoulder.

"He'll be back before you know it," Fitz reassured Hurley and then turned to Jack. "She's right over to the side of those rocks," he said as they started moving in that direction.

"Your leg...it's bleeding," Jack noted. "Let me take a look at it."

"It's just a slight laceration. Fitz spread his hands in a dismissive gesture. "I'll wash it later with some salt water, it'll be alright."

"Well...it's still bleeding. The safe thing is to apply some pressure and wait 10 minutes," Jack insisted, putting his bag down in the sand and motioning towards the nearest rock with his other hand. "I"m not moving until we're sure the bleeding has stopped," he concluded in a no-nonsense tone.

Fitz reluctantly complied and eased down onto the rock . It was killing him having to wait, he wanted them to get to Olivia as soon as possible, especially in light of this new revelation regarding Kate's criminal background; he couldn't help but wonder what types of crimes the woman had committed.

**A/N:**

**Today I changed the story description (scroll back up if you missed it). **

**Please vote for one(1) of the following:**

1) I like this description : Come along for the journey of a lifetime to see how they survive and fall in love while they await rescue ( Idea taken from LoreneMichelle41).

2) LOVE current description! I HATE Jake!

3) I vote for BOTH 1 and 2

4) OTHER (fill in the blank)

_**If you've been following this story and have never reviewed **_AND are reading this on a digital device AND it's a pain to type with a stylus: **_Then, at least vote for a number (1,2,3 or 4)_**

**_LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD, EVERY REVIEW COUNTS, EVERY VOTE COUNTS!._ I WILL TAKE EVERYONE'S OPINION IN CONSIDERATION.**

**If you like this story, please favorite and/or follow. This goes a long way in showing your support!**

**Thanks!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Guys, thanks for voting and for your awesome support!**

* * *

By the time bleeding on his leg had stopped, and they trekked towards the beach, it was already mid afternoon.

"What do you think she did?" Fitz asked Jack.

Jack shrugged as he lead the way. "It's none of our business." He added, handing Fitz a clear plastic water bottle from his doctor bag.

Fitz shook his head in disbelief, yet he gratefully grabbed the bottle. "How can you not wanna know?" he took a couple of longer strides trying to catch up with the doctor. "The marshal said she was dangerous, remember?"

"Newsflash: We're lost on a tropical island...the rules of the world don't apply anymore. We're all on the same boat, here."

"Here's another newsflash for you: tigers don't usually change their stripes. " Fitz quickly retorted, then he drank half the bottle in nearly one gulp. He couldn't remember a time in his life when he'd been as thirsty as today. "You're a doctor, right? you don't stop being one just because we crashed on an island, do you? "

"Kate has been a great help, I just don't want to alienate her."

Fitz thought the doctor's response was stupid. He suspected that the reason he was willing to stick up for Kate was because he liked her...in more ways than one.

* * *

xxx

"The pilot didn't survive," Kate told Olivia with regret. "A group of us located the cockpit deep in the jungle..."

"Let me get this straight...So the plane broke in mid air, most of us in the middle section landed here on the beach... and the cockpit landed deeper in the jungle...but what about the tail section? Olivia looked up at Kate. She was getting tired of laying on her back in the same position for hours now.

Not that her conversation with Kate had been dull. On the contrary, ever since Fitz had left with Hurley, they had discussed different topics (except for Kate's criminal background). However, at this point, Olivia felt relatively comfortable in the woman's presence. One thing she had learned as an attorney was to give the accused the benefit of the doubt: 'Innocent until proven guilty.' Thus, she had decided she would make up her mind as to what kind of woman Kate was without prejudice.

Kate considered this for a moment. "We haven't found the tail section yet.. all we know is that there were no survivors in the cockpit," she stated looking out into the distance. "He did tell me one thing before he died," Kate continued telling her story, tying her long curly hair into a pony tail. "He said that about 6 hours into the flight, the radio malfunctioned so he lost communication with the ground. He decided to turn around towards Fiji.

"Wait...Fiji is not that far from Australia, right?" Olivia interrupted, squinting her eyes. Streaks of sun rays were streaming through the tent that Fitz had improvised out of bedding supported by tree branches.

"Well, we didn't make it all the way back to Fiji. His guess is that the plane traveled about a thousand miles off course, that's a little over two hours...and that's when we hit turbulence."

Olivia's heart sank. "But...does this mean that no one actually knows our location?"

Kate heaved a sigh.

"Well...how about cell phones? Chances are that at least a few survived the crash, right?" she sought Kate's gaze for confirmation.

"We've found a few...but none seem to be able to pick up signal."

"We'll just have to keep trying," the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to Olivia that it was just a matter of time before they'd be able to communicate with the rest of the world.

xxx

Fitz and Jack arrived to find Kate and Olivia deep in conversation.

After greeting Olivia, Jack immediately proceeded to tell Kate the newest developments regarding the marshal's condition and the radio transmitter and the hike to the mountains to try to get signal.

Next, Jack examined Olivia while Kate and Fitz looked on.

"I saw your mugshot...the marshal had it in his pocket," Fitz stared at Kate, not bothering to hide the scrutiny in his eyes.

Jack gave Fitz a look of disapproval.

For a second, Kate froze. "It's not...it was a mistake..." she sprinted to her feet and took a few steps back, putting physical distance between herself and the others.

"What were the charges against you?" Fitz asked point blank.

Kate looked away and Jack told her, "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to!"

Fitz furrowed his brow. He couldn't believe this guy! Not only did he like to impose his will on others but he also appeared intent on not letting anyone else step away from his agenda.

It was immediately evident to him that arrogance appeared to be Jack's deadly sin. In fact, this type of arrogance truly irritated him to no end; he couldn't stand it when others acted as though rules only applied to others.

"I'm going with Sayid to help see if we can get a signal, " Kate said with sudden urgency. Then, she glanced at Olivia before heading back into the jungle. "I hope you start feeling better soon, Liv."

"Take care," Olivia replied as a way of a good-bye.

Jack, who had been kneeling by Olivia, rose and faced Fitz. "I would say that Liv's condition isn't serious."

Although Olivia felt a clear sense of relief, she didn't like how the doctor was talking about her health condition in her presence. She would have rather him address her directly.

"So it's just temporary?" Fitz asked.

"Most likely. Although I don't have any diagnostic equipment... the only thing I can tell you for sure is that I've seen plenty of spinal injury patients...and Olivia is not one of them, so we can definitely rule that one out" he concluded with a sense of satisfaction.

xxx

Shortly afterwards, Hurley came back to tell Jack that the marshal was now conscious.

"Here, " Jack tossed Fitz a couple of water bottles from his bag. "Keep her hydrated, let me know of any changes," he added while heading off in the same direction as Kate.

Fitz turned his attention to Olivia.

He propped up the blanket she was using as a pillow in order to give her some water.

"I need to sit up," she said between sips. "I need a change of scenery."

"Ill bring a seat from the plane so she can sit and get a view of the ocean," Hurley offered, looking at Fitz. "We've been using them seats, most of them are in good condition," he said to Olivia.

Fitz appreciated Hurley's kindness.

A while later, Hurley came back with a buddy carrying a bench airplane seat in fairly good shape.

On top of the seat was a clean white sheet and a small suitcase.

"There's some clothing there for Liv that I think will fit. " Hurley said as Fitz picked up the suitcase and set it somewhere in the tent. "It must have belonged to a woman. It has toiletries, a few granola bars. Oh, I also put a couple of bottled waters, and a few snacks from the flight attendants station. Holler if you need anything else. I'll be around,"he concluded almost in one breath.

"Thank you, Hurley, that was very thoughtful of you," Olivia said with a bright friendly smile.

Once Hurley was gone, Fitz lifted Olivia and positioned her on the seat.

Olivia's spirits lifted, as she sat upright, her arms comfortably positioned on the arm rests . It almost made her forget she was paralyzed.

They talked for a while, sitting side by side, watching sea birds disappear into the vast horizon of the pacific ocean at that time of day when the sun was kind and gentle.

She smiled when she saw he'd pulled out a small container of applesauce with the Oceanic Airlines logo clearly displayed. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until that very moment.

"Now some airplane food for you," he smiled, remembering their discussion on the plane.

They were both silent for a few moments as they both considered the fact that Olivia would need to be spoon fed very much like an infant.

He scooped up some applesauce onto a plastic spoon. Then, he respectfully waited as he silently asked for her permission to bring the spoon closer to her mouth.

Olivia took a deep breath. Her eyes instantly filled with unshed tears. She didn't know what touched her the most: the realization that now she was before him in her most vulnerable state or the fact that there was this incredible connection between herself and this man wherein words seemed to be unnecessary.

"Lucky for me...I happen to like airline food..." she said after he had finished feeding her the applesauce and a granola bar.

That night, they slept together side by side under the stars.

At dawn, Olivia awoke feeling unbearably sweaty in her dressy satin top, the humidity was doing a number on her. Part of her had wanted to ask Fitz to help get into some clean clothes, but then they were both so exhausted they had fallen asleep as soon as twilight settled in.

Much to her surprise, he opened his eyes. Then, he smiled at her as he lay on his side with head tucked underneath his arm, facing her. She thought he looked divine.

"How's your leg? You think you can carry me to the ocean?" she was dying to feel the waves refreshing her skin.

"It's healing...I've got a scab, already. " he smiled. "See, I'm not wearing the shirt around my leg anymore. " he reported while attempting to lift Olivia into his arms.

"Fitz, " she whispered. "I really want to bathe in the ocean. So, you're gonna need to take my clothes off." This was no time to be prude, if she was going to bathe, it would be like the way nature intended. In addition she was dying to get out of her ridiculously tight pencil skirt which incidentally was unsuitable for island wear.

Fitz remained motionless for a few moments, as he thought about what she just said, his lips curving into a sweet smile.

As he slowly undressed her, Olivia couldn't help but feel her loins burn hot for him. _Not bad,_ she thought, _for someone who's supposed to be paralyzed!_ She smiled at herself, feeling better already. This was definitely a good sign...meaning that not all was lost...as there were some parts of her that were still working like clockwork.

His eyes softened at the sight of her gorgeous naked body, a rush of desire hammering through his veins.

**A/N: I've changed the story description, tell me what you think. **On a side note, Olitz will be standing in the sun quite a bit in this story...after all, they're on a tropical island with plenty of sunshine :D (anyway, most of you seem to like 'no Jake Ballard' part.

I also changed LoreneMichelle's suggestion a bit, but still used some of the wording. I'm still trying to decide whether to use the 'await rescue' part. I might just leave the current description as it is. **  
**

**Thanks to all who answered my survey questions. You're the best!  
**

_Also, tell me how you liked this chapter _:)

NOTE: Fitz and Olivia have been developing a strong, powerful connection based on friendship and trust so that when they finally make love it will be magical (see, I told ya I was a hopeless romantic, remember? )


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** MyPenCries & Kandyse4Olitz : I think I will leave the story description as is, you have voiced my sentiments exactly.

**Readers:** I've been so busy I was going to wait to write this chapter, but then a guest review came in stating two magical words: "love this" and then, I couldn't just put it off, right? I had to start writing ;)

* * *

A rising coastal sun sent piercing spears of light into her eyes. The morning was already warm and hinting at the hot humid day it would later become. Yet, she smiled to herself, already looking forward to the feel of his masculine hands on her naked skin.

Fitz assumed that it was early enough still so that everyone else would be sleeping. He had propped up their tent a bit further than the others had chosen to camp out. For once, as he contemplated taking Olivia into the ocean, he was glad about that.

He knew of just the spot to take her where they would be awarded some sense of privacy. He had explored the area the day before when Olivia had been unconscious and found a shallow secluded spot perfect for bathing.

His eyes reluctantly glanced away from Olivia's naked body and gazed out into the distance. YES! the coast was clear: there wasn't a soul anywhere near.

He pulled out a travel sized bottle of shampoo and put it in his jean pocket and then took off his shirt, socks and shoes.

The sight of his lean body and abs to die for took her breath away.

As soon as he lifted her into his arms, her head naturally rested against the crook of his neck, as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

Once in the water, he somehow managed to shampoo and rinse her hair with one hand while supporting the rest of her body with the other.

She looked up at him with grateful eyes, as he carried her back to their tent and tenderly laid her back down on the blanket.

Her heart, beating fast and crazy wanted nothing but for him to lay next to her.

Instead, he began rubbing her body dry with a small towel from the suitcase.

"Fitz," she mouthed weakly.

He stopped and leaned closer to her, letting her know she had his complete attention.

"Lay next to me," she murmured softly, "I need to tell you something."

He lay beside her, propping himself on one elbow, strands of damp flyaway hair fluttering in the wind.

"Thank you," her gaze focused on the triangle between his intense gray-blue eyes and his enticing lips.

Right then she looked so beautiful, her eyes so tender and vulnerable...he couldn't help but place a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"Kiss me," her voice had a distinct sense of urgency over which she had no control whatsoever for every skin cell in her body needed to be touched, _kiss me already, _she demanded in her head._  
_

He smiled down at her, tracing a finger around her cheek so lightly at first that she thought maybe she had imagined it, but then when his finger traced her lips, every nerve in her body responded by kissing his finger ever so slightly.

They were face to face so snugly that not even an inch of space was left between them for the ocean breeze.

Olivia closed her eyes for a moment, catching the scent of sea on his pearly damp skin, running her tongue over her lips and then pressing them together in anticipation.

Using feather light pressure, his lips met hers and then he pulled away to gaze intently into her pleading eyes, the want and desire plain for him to see.

Then, his lips covered hers, gentle and tentative at first...and they both caught a passionate gasp in their throats. He moved slowly, as though they had all the time in the world...and she liked that.

As the kiss deepened, their tongues engaged in a dance of passion and delicious surrender, knowing full well that there would be no turning back and no regrets.

Nerves tingled and danced throughout her body, as his fingertips slowly moved to feel her breast and then kept traveling south and lingered just at the crown of her warmth.

Fitz pulled away again, silently asking her permission as he didn't want to take advantage while drawing little circles right above the most intimate of places.

"Livvie," he whispered and she became all too aware of his hardness pulsating against her leg. In that moment, there was nothing she wanted more in the world than to have the freedom to explore his body.

Right then, they both felt a twitch.

She smiled big and wide, "my toes!" she exclaimed delighted, "I think I can move them!"

Sliding down to her feet, he stared mesmerized: She was indeed moving her big toe at will.

They shared a smile, both relieved beyond measure.

"Can you do that again? Can you move ALL your toes?" with unmasked excitement, he began kissing her toes one by one and to his absolute bliss, they twitched with the mere touch of his tongue.

Wanting to wake her dormant body as though she was Snow White and he her prince charming, he began kissing every inch of her skin until once again he reached her warmth.

His tongue found her feminine folds, the pheromones overwhelming all his senses, calling out HIS name with the urgency of a wild horse in an ancient battle for freedom.

He locked eyes with her, just before he pushed his fingers into the slippery opening and stroked firmly and rhythmically.

She came almost instantly, hard and fast.

"You're so beautiful," he breathed, as he moved back to wipe the tears from her eyes.

She stared back at him, utterly speechless.

Right then, they heard voices nearby. It seemed like the others were up and about.

Most reluctantly, Fitz covered her gorgeous body with the towel and pulled out from the suitcase a t-shirt and a pair of light weight capri pants for her to wear.

A/N: **I will be changing the rating to "M" for the next chapter. **Now you may already know this but the default setting on this site is from 'K' to 'T'. So for those of you that don't have an account, you wont be able to find this story once I change the rating unless you _remember to un-check the rating box and select 'ALL' for the rating._ You probably do this anyway, although I've had readers tell me that don't read M stories as they don't ever change the search parameters when they look for stories.

Of course, if you're already following this story, then you'll just keep getting e-mails with chapter updates just the same.

Thanks so much to every single one of you that has reviewed, followed and/or favorited this story. Even though I haven't been able to reply back to each review, please know they're greatly appreciated. However, if you would like a personal reply, let me know...I would love to get to know you :)

Special thanks to ALL guest reviewers: every time I get guest review I get excited, maybe cause I love mysteries,

PLEASE KEEP ON REVIEWING! Hope you liked this chapter :)


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Hi, guys, I'm back, been busy,

* * *

Three (3) days later.

Olivia sat hugging her legs and facing the ocean, her gaze hidden underneath a pair of sunglasses that she'd found in the suitcase Hurley had given her. They weren't exactly Prada or even Channel, but they did the job just as well. In fact, she'd never been more grateful for a pair of sunglasses...now that she had to spend day after day at the mercy of the sun.

She was watching Hurley from a distance, attempting to fish with a sharp stick. Time and time again he'd failed to pin down a fish with the sharp edge of his tool. Yet, he didn't give up and kept trying.

Slowly but steadily Olivia had regained almost complete mobility in the last few days, except that her legs still refused to support her, despite all the encouragement she had received from Fitz.

She wasn't about to give up, no way. But she needed more time, she thought. The struggle had been great and too many awkward falls had wounded her ego.

"I can't Olivia, " he'd told her the night before, running a hand through his hair. "Let's wait until you make a complete recovery." he said pulling away from her. They'd been making out with the light of the moon as their only source of light.

She had felt as though she had been slapped. This was bullshit. Ever since she had re-gained her upper body mobility, she had done just about everything to let him know she wanted him to go all the way.

For a moment, she had believed that perhaps this was his way of 'encourage' her to walk (by refusing to have sex with her until she was well?). Yet, she chuckled at the thought: Fitz was not her daddy. He sure as heck didn't have the right to teach her lessons on the value of perseverance...it certainly was ludicrous to think he would withhold something (like sex) to get her to do something she would rather not do... just like a parent would.

Presently, Fitz glanced over at their closest neighbors: a young Korean couple that could not speak English. The Korean woman was staring at them with curious expression, undoubtedly wondering what their animated discussion was all about. He nodded back at her to let her know everything was okay and she smiled knowingly before going back inside her tent.

"I was thinking of asking Sun to stay with you...while I go with Jack and Sayid..." he started tentatively.

"Sun can't speak any English..." She countered.

"I'm sure you'll manage just fine...fortunately, body language and gestures are universal. Look, Liv, I've been here with you and days have gone by...I thought we would have been rescued by now. But now, it looks like we're just about out of bottled water." he concluded putting heavy emphasis on the last sentence. The truth was that he was beginning to resent being left out of all the action. He didn't like the fact that Jack had taken on the role of supreme leader of the survivors and that nearly everyone had taken to looking up to him for guidance.

Fitz was a natural born leader and it felt unnatural to him to follow someone else's leadership. Back home in Santa Barbara, he'd been the senior partner in his law firm and thus, no one made a move without consulting him first.

But now, as he spent his days taking care of Olivia, he had lost many opportunities for his voice to be heard. Last thing he'd heard was that there were plans for an expedition in search of sources of fresh water and that Jack had decided to burn the bodies of those who had perished and were still trapped inside the fuselage.

From Hurley, he had also learned that Sayid's attempt to send out a distress signal had failed since there had been another signal blocking it.

Thus, things were looking quite bleak from his perspective.

Olivia swallowed hard. Over the last few days she had grown quite attached to Fitz. Nothing like extraordinary circumstances to bring people together and create incredibly strong bonds.

"If you need to go, then by all means go..." she said trying to hide the anguish she was feeling. "But at least...can you wait until... later?" she asked trying NOT to appear overly needy. Being paralyzed had certainly being a humbling experience. It had crushed her pride and confidence to pieces. However, now that she had regained some of her mobility, she was starting to feel as though at least part of her old self was back.

She gave herself a little pep talk. She was thinking that she had to show Fitz she could survive fine without him. Yes, she could learn to rely on the Korean couple and Hurley for help. Yes, she could do this.

Even though, deep down this was killing her...and the truth was that now she felt she couldn't live without him.

But damn if she was going to let him know just how desperate she felt. In her experience, women that threw themselves at a man's feet were taken for granted and eventually abandoned.

Before she knew it, Fitz was talking to sun who smiled a lot as though she understood what he said. Maybe she did understand, Olivia reflected. Maybe she, Olivia, was the one that was clueless...the one who didn't understand Fitz.

She was still deep in thought, when something out of the ordinary caught her attention.

There was something...out in the ocean.

A pair of arms? Waiving?

"FITZ!" Olivia yelled. "There's someone out there..."

As if on cue, a man with a thick Australian accent yelled with extreme urgency,"I can't swim, who can swim?" Two swimmers out there drowning!"

Fitz swiftly took off his T-shirt and kicked off his shoes.

In two seconds flat he was swimming in deep water.

He swam and swam. For a minute, he was disoriented for he could have sworn he'd seen somebody.

Then, he saw a piece of clothing or something red underwater. Without hesitation, he dove underwater several times until he brought to the surface the body of a young man, gagging and coughing.

"Easy, easy there...take deep breaths.." Fitz suggested.

"She's out there! I was...save her!" the young man spoke in between breaths.

Fitz looked out into the distance and sure enough, deeper in was a woman drowning, flailing her arms. For a few moments, Fitz struggled to keep the man's head afloat (his whole body was limp like a dead fish) and turning his head back in the direction of the woman.

The woman was so deep in the ocean, Fitz was sure she couldn't have swam that far out on her own accord. It must have been a riptide that had pulled her so far away from the shore.

xxxx

"I decided not to try...I decided not to go after her, " Fitz said, once he brought the young man back to shore safe and sound, not far from where Olivia sat.

A crowd gathered, including Kate and Hurley.

"Who, who are you talking about?" Olivia asked.

"There was another swimmer...a woman. I could hear her screaming for help. I hesitated. I had Boone, I had him...so I brought him to shore...and then, I thought I would go back..."

"It's okay, Fitz," Kate said. "You thought you had time to go back..."

"Yeah, dude. There is nothing else you could have done," Hurley chimed.

"No,No... I decided no to go after her, "he reiterated, out of breath and with a pained look on his face. "And then it was too late." Never before in his life had he felt personally so responsible for someone else's demise.

xxxx

Still shaken up by the experience, Fitz decided to move forward after making sure one more time that Sun would be there for Olivia.

Olivia said good-bye to him coolly, determined not to reveal her internal turmoil which sometimes vacillated between annoyance and a feeling of downright desolation.

Then, she watched him address the crowd.

People around him started asking for Jack.

"Look, people...Jack is out somewhere. In the meantime, I am here."Fitz began in an authoritative tone. "Listen, it's been six days and we are all still waiting for someone to come, but what if they don't? We need to figure things out on our own," he continued enunciating each word carefully. "Every man for himself is not going to work. We need to start organizing..."

What are you, a politician? " someone in the crowd yelled in a mocking tone.

"Every man for himself is not going to work. Last week most of us are strangers but we're all in this together now. " Fitz continued without missing a beat. "We got to pull in our resources, stop fighting amongst ourselves. We can survive together, all of us as one. " he paused, making sure he had the complete attention of the crowd. He shook his head, and the intense expression on his face unequivocally revealed that what he was about to say was really, really important. "If we can't live together in harmony, people...we're gonna die alone," he concluded with nearly perfect delivery and intonation.

"We need water and food!" someone else yelled. "There's not enough left for all of us!"

"It's cavemen style now!" shouted the Southerner.

"It sounds like we all need to hire some lobbyists to represent our interests!" a man sneered. "Who's gonna decide where our resources go? Who needs what the most? like I could be the pregnant woman's lobbyist!"

"Good point there," Fitz conceded. "Until we find new sources of food and water..." he made eye contact with Hurley. "I nominate Hurley here to distribute the few resources we still have left." Fitz declared, thinking that a seemingly altruistic person like Hurley could be trusted to make such decisions.

Some people in the crowd cheered. Hurley offered a shy smile.

And with that, Fitz left with a group of people trailing behind him in search of very much needed resources. Olivia watched from a distance, her heart sinking when she realized that he was leaving without even a glance in her direction. Never in her life did she feel so useless...and so much in need of a man's attention.

And Olivia cried tears of burning anger.

Unbeknownst to her, a few hours later her angry tears would disappear to give way to fear and uncertainty.

**A/N:** **Do you like this story? Wish for more romance? Tell me what you think. YOUR REVIEWS KEEP ME MOTIVATED! **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** ** Thank y'all for your comments! **For those of you who asked whether they were going to be lost forever, let's just say without giving too much away that there will be a post-island time although some things need to happen first :)

Again, this fic will _not_ follow the same time frame as LOST.

And for those of you that asked for more romance... yes, it's coming SOON. So hang in there, cause it will be GOOD!

* * *

While speaking in soft spoken Korean and sitting beside her on the blanket, Sun showed her a few leaves she had found. Then holding onto a leaf, she mimicked the motion of teeth brushing.

"It's like toothpaste, " Ten year old Walt commented, his eyes bright with wonder.

"I bet it's even healthier for our teeth..." Olivia chimed in. "No artificial flavors, all natural like nature intended."

Later that day, Olivia was sitting on the beach with both legs folded pointing towards her torso and with the soles of her feet facing upwards and toes pointing backwards when a man in his early sixties approached her and asked if he could sit in the sand beside her. She had seen him before, he stood out as being one of the few who qualified as being close to retirement age.

"Sure." she nodded. She could use some company.

The man introduced himself as John Locke. He was white, bald, rugged features. Although his most distinctive feature (in Olivia's opinion) was the a rather large scar across his right eye which started above the eyebrow and went straight down his cheek. The scar looked red and fairly new so Olivia assumed it was due to the crash.

"Did you ever hear about Norman Croucher?"

Olivia raised a brow.

"Double amputee, no legs...climbed to the top of Mount Everest?"

"Hmm...yeah, "Olivia nodded. "Quite remarkable."

"Why did he do it, you may wonder..." John Locke pondered. "You would think he had the perfect excuse NOT to try."

Olivia shrugged.

Locke studied her with the cunning eyes of a hawk. "So, Olivia...you have recovered quite remarkably, I would say..."

"I can't walk yet, " she reminded him.

"Hmm... yeah. " He cleared his throat. "About that... "You know, most people paralyzed from the waist down are not able to do what you can do," he observed, giving her a sly look.

Olivia cocked her head. "What do you mean?" she asked already suspecting where he was heading.

"Well, since I have been sitting here with you, I've seen you cross and uncross your legs a few times and... honestly, If I was just meeting you today, I would have never suspected you had any type of handicap."

Olivia pursed her lips. "Are you actually suggesting...? she was so outraged she couldn't even finish her sentence.

A slow mischievous smile played across his lips. "What are you afraid of, Olivia?"

She felt like telling this man a thing or two. Who did he think he was? They barely knew each other.

"No, really...what are you the most afraid of?" He persisted. "There's gotta be something. We're all afraid of something...It's just part of being human.

Olivia sighed. This man certainly had a way of talking that somehow drew you in.

The truth was that ever since the crash, Olivia had felt completely out of her element. Back in the real world, she knew exactly which way the wind was blowing and could have sailed through every trial and every situation with ease.**  
**

But on the island, everything was different. She didn't know what to expect; she didn't know how to navigate in this new environment. She was terrified yet she wasn't about to admit this to anyone.

"what do you think is man's greatest fear?" Locke decided to try something different. "Come on, take a guess," he prompted.

"Spiders... snakes?" she ventured with a smile. "Wild boars?" Olivia shuddered a little remembering that a couple of nights ago wild boards had scared the living daylights out of everyone. Thinking of the best way to keep the creatures at bay, Jack had decided that the thing to do was to burn the dead bodies in the fuselage.

"That's three guesses," he returned her smile. "Believe it or not, it's the unknown that we fear the most" he went on with ease. We all have that in common...although we don't all fear it to the same degree," he paused to let the idea sink in. "Crashing on this island has exacerbated this fear in all of us. In truth, we don't know what dangers lie ahead. We didn't come to this island prepared, " he looked out into the ocean and shook his head. " This is a big island...a deserted island, it seems...cut off from civilization...and we haven't even explored a third of it yet."

"There's still the chance that we'll find other people here..." Olivia's eyes brightened.

"Possibly. Nothing can be completely ruled out...this place is just one big question mark."

They were silent for a few minutes, gazing at the ocean. Olivia shifted positions again, her legs responding to a full range of movement.

"I'll be hunting for boars later today." he proudly informed her. "I bet they taste like pork."

"So I heard... you got yourself a good stash of knifes, Mr. Locke. " She commented, clearly impressed by this fact. "How did you get those on the plane?"

Locke shrugged. "Let's just say I'm a seasoned traveler."

Olivia smiled. She decided she liked Locke after all.

A little while later Locke left on his hunting expedition.

Olivia spent the rest of the afternoon trying to communicate with Sun and was surprised to learn how the more she tried to communicate with her, the better they seemed to understand each other.

By sundown, she started to feel worried. Fitz and his group were still gone. There was no telling when they'd be back...but surely spending the night in the jungle had not been part of their plan. Before long, a tape recording started playing in her head over and over: _What if Fitz doesn't ever come back? What if something happened? _along with Locke's words: _it's the unknown that we fear the most..._

* * *

**xxx**

Fitz and Kate walked for hours on end, mostly in silence. Fitz had decided that it would be best that the four of them split into groups of two...and that one group (the other group) stay closer to the beach just in case.

"I'm worried about Jack. It's not like him to be gone like this. It's been 24 hours since we saw him last," Kate spoke as their feet carried them deeper and deeper into the jungle. "Maybe we'll run into him at one point?"**  
**

"He shouldn't have gone off on his own like that. " Fitz shook his head to punctuate his disapproval. "Any expeditions should be done in pairs...So if something happens...at least one person would be able to tell the story."

"Maybe it was a boar... or a different wild beast altogether..." Kate mused. "He's out somewhere bleeding... or he fell down a cliff and..."

"Save your overly active imagination for fictional writing," Fitz interrupted. "Right here in the jungle, we have no use for that type of imagination." He brusquely retorted. He still didn't trust her one hundred percent. **  
**

At dusk, they stopped to assess the situation. They had nothing to defend themselves except for a couple of knives that Locke had lent them.

"We can't head back, we need to keep going." Fitz said thinking they couldn't go back to the camp empty handed. In their backpacks, they both carried 10 empty bottles in the hopes of bringing them back filled with water.

"It'll be dark in an hour..."

"Exactly. We don't have time to get back so we'll have to camp somewhere anyway."

As in on cue they came upon an area that looked like the mouth of a cave.

Right then, they heard the beautiful sound of water falling.

Just a few steps away was the most beautiful sight: a tall waterfall cascading down into a shallow pool.

Fitz exhaled a huge sigh of relief. All along, his greatest fear had been not being able to find a natural supply of fresh water in time to quench the thirst of thirty plus survivors.

The discovery of the waterfall meant salvation for everyone. As for sources of food, they could always rely on mangoes and fish until they were rescued.

Fitz looked around the cave in awe. It was wide around the waterfall, yet the mouth of the cave was narrow enough to ensure good protection against predators.

Filled with unparalleled joy and excitement, Kate dashed into the pool and stood underneath the waterfall.

With a smile, Fitz watched her get soaked for the longest time as her tank top flaunted her cleavage, until he finally decided to get the bottles from their backpacks so she could fill them one by one.

Kate stepped out of the pool shortly after that and sat on a large rock, dripping wet from head to toe. "Oh, gee...I didn't bring any change of clothing..." she said as an afterthought. "I didn't think we'd be gone this long...plus I wanted to fit in as many water bottles as possible...

It seemed to Fitz that Kate quite an adventurer, not much into planning ahead.

"Why is it that whenever there is an excursion somewhere you're the first one to sign up? Fitz wondered, as he watched her take off her socks and shoes and set them aside to dry.**  
**

"I guess for me it would be worse to sit around and do nothing."

"You seem to know your way around in the wilderness... where did you learn how to track? Did you go camping a lot as a child or something?" He asked, finding a nearby rock where to take a rest.

"Hmm...yeah, my family was sort of out-outdoorsy... " she smiled. "My dad was into hunting," she added while wringing her hair dry.**  
**

Fitz raised a brow.

"Deer hunting." Kate clarified. "I'm from Kentucky."

"Oh," he murmured absentmindedly while trying to get a fire started.

Shortly after that, they settled for the night using their backpacks to rest their heads and at arms length from one another.

"You may want to take those clothes off," he suggested, seeing that she was shivering and having trouble going to sleep.

Kate hesitated for a moment.

"I promise not to look..." he said, ready to turn his body the other way.

"Not necessary," she replied with a hint of a smile. "You see...you and I can just pretend that I'm wearing my swimsuit, " she said while taking off her tank top and sliding her jeans down her legs.

Fitz's eyes widened.

Kate, now clad in her bra and underwear, turned towards the fire to warm up. He was utterly impressed with her apparent lack of hang-ups.

Sensing his eyes on her, Kate turned and held his gaze for the longest time before lying back down on her makeshift bed.

**A/N: Comments?**

**Please review! **


	12. Chapter 12

A little after midnight, Olivia woke up with a start to the sight of a huge boar staring down at her.

She blinked three times thinking it must be a dream...a really bad dream, actually.

But the boar was still there, staring at her as if it wanted to strip her of her body and soul.

She wanted to scream, but words refused to form in her mouth.

In their place came a loud gasp.

Which made the beast's huge head loom even closer.

_Don't move,_ a voice inside of her spoke in a dead serious tone.

Olivia didn't know how long she stayed still like that...but it certainly seemed like hours.

She even had time to say a long prayer in her head, one that had words such as _the Lord is my shepherd...even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me...your rod and your staff, they comfort me..._

It was a long prayer and she had time to recite all the words that she had faithfully memorized back she'd been a young child in Sunday school.

Then, the most_ unbelievable _thing happened.

The huge beast sniffed her, it's huge nostrils flaring.

But then, it became perfectly still.

For a second, Olivia thought the animal's eyes had a look of kindness, vulnerability that appeared almost human.

_It's only a boar..._

And then she was no longer afraid.

As if on cue, the wild boar backed away and peacefully disappeared into the wilderness.

* * *

**xxx**

At the crack of dawn, Fitz and Kate started making their way back to camp.

"You must be so eager to get back to your girlfriend..." she prompted eager to engage in some type of conversation.

Fitz thought her phrasing was odd but let it go at that. He assumed she was talking about Olivia. Interestingly, he found himself liking the fact that everyone assumed that he and Olivia had been together since way before the plane crash. "We all have someone to get back to, don't we?" he spoke thinking they were just making conversation. Then, he turned to look at her curiously. "Who's waiting for you back home?"

"Well, actually...I don't have anybody." She stated matter of factly, staring straight ahead.

Fitz thought about an appropriate response to that...such as sorry to hear that? "No family? friends?" he asked incredulous.

Right then they heard a roar, the loudest roar they could had ever imagined.

Then, they saw it: a bear, a white polar bear charging towards them.

"Give me your back pack, NOW!" he yelled.

Terrified, Kate immediately complied.

In two seconds flat, Fitz unzipped the front pocket, pulled out a handgun and pointed at the bear.

The bear kept charging towards them at high speed.

Kate then attempted to run away.

Fitz stayed put, his eyes fearlessly fixed on the creature, aiming the handgun straight at it in an unwavering stance.

"It's dead," Kate mumbled still in a daze, a few seconds later.

It wasn't until then that Fitz lowered the gun.

"It's a polar bear! A polar bear on a tropical island!" she shook her head in disbelief, walking towards the animal to take a closer look.

As Kate walked back to Fitz, he asked, "where did you get the gun?"

"You went through my things," she calmly replied.

"Where did you get it?" He insisted. "No handguns allowed on the plane...except the one belonging to the marshal..."

"The Southerner...he found it. Gave it to me for protection."

Fitz found that hard to believe. Most like it she had stolen it.

Kate went to the nearest rock and sat down. Fitz followed her and stared at her in silence.

"Please stop staring at me like that. I'm a good person, " she began. "I had to do it. I killed my stepfather. He had been abusing my mother for years...she refused to leave him. Either I killed him or she would have wound up dead sooner rather than later," she concluded with a fierce look in her eyes.

His expression softened at the revelation. "So, you shot him?" He guessed.

"Well...no. " she took a deep breath. "I...I burned down the house with him in it. He was passed out drunk and my mother was out of the house."

"Ah...at least she's safe and sound," he stated, not knowing what else to say.

"Yes. She's okay. Except she wants nothing to do with me now," she said with a pained expression.

"Sorry to hear that," Feeling the weight of the weapon in his hands, he added, "I think I ought to hang on to this for now."

Kate studied him long and hard. "So shooting the bear has earned you the right to bear arms, huh?"

"Never have a gun in your possession unless your prepared to use it. " Fitz interjected with confidence. "You had it in your backpack but when you had opportunity to use it, you were prepared to run instead."

Kate peered at him with new found respect.

* * *

**xxx**

Early the next day, Olivia got up and walked. Just like that.

She had been so eager to tell everyone about the boar, she hardly gave any thought to the fact that she was actually walking...

She told Sun and her husband Jin first who made tons of Korean exclamations. No, it appeared that they had not heard the boar approach the camp during the night.

Some people doubted her story, others thought she had dreamed the entire episode.

Olivia didn't care. She knew it happened and that was all that mattered.

She couldn't wait to tell Fitz when he got back...

Still, her happy mood changed in a matter of a few short hours as the day wore on and there were still no sign of Fitz and Kate.

Then, to top it off, the mood at the beach camp became gloomy, as Hurley announced that he had no more water bottles left. Even the Southerner had run out as well.

Olivia had one remaining bottle and she planned on pacing herself by taking only a few sips at a time every couple of hours.

In an attempt to distract herself, she took a long stroll along the beach. It felt SO good to be walking again! Along the way, she ran into the Southerner who was casually smoking a cigarette outside his tent.

"Well, well, well... _look who's walking,_" The Southerner observed with a smirk.

Now that she had a chance to meet him up close, she couldn't help but admit that the guy was actually hotter than what he had appeared from afar. "Hello...Sawyer, isn't it?"

The Southerner nodded.

"I need sunscreen, " Olivia informed him. "Hmm...and a wide brimmed hat, if you have one, she added as an afterthought.

"What makes ya think I've got it?"

_Cause you're the SOB who's been hoarding supplies, that's why,_ she wanted to say. "I heard you've got yourself a little mini-mart," she said instead.

Sawyer gave her a wide dimpled smile. "Yeah...You think Sayid needs a job?"

_ Sayid, the Middle Eastern man._ Olivia hadn't given him much thought since the had not really crossed paths since the crash.

She didn't bother to respond. Instead she stared at him coldly which had not been the response that the Southerner had been looking for.

A moment later, Sawyer opened up the curtain to his tent which revealed an assortment of goods.

"Alrighty, then. Here ya go."

"OK. What's your going price?" she wondered, seeing that he had in his hand a bottle of Neutrogena SPF 50.

"Your money ain't no good here."

She gave him a quizzical look. "OK, great!" She took the bottle from his unresisting hand. "See you around," she turned as if to leave.

"I'll take 5 grand."

She turned back slowly. "I thought you said money was no good here."

"Well...yeah...I'll take that now...or you," he gazed at her with a devilishly suggestive smirk. "Something tells me that _you're good."_

Olivia slapped him hard across the face. "Forget about the hat," and with that she quickly left with her head held high.**  
**

* * *

**xxx  
**

Shortly after that, John Locke and young Boone returned with two boars. They roasted them in their camp fire and had a mighty feast

Two hours later, people were still eating and celebrating when Fitz and Kate returned from their expedition.

"Whad'ya know...the mighty huntress returns," Sawyer smirked, his eyes glued on Kate.

"Not know, Sawyer," Kate replied with a sneer, walking away from him.

Olivia's heart pounded like crazy at the sight of Fitz walking behind Kate, shaking hands with everyone and accepting congratulatory pats in the back. Everyone was delighted to see him handing out bottles of water and a crowd gathered around him before Olivia had a chance to get close.

For the longest time, Olivia just stood there staring as Fitz continued interacting and smiling, entirely oblivious to her presence (or so it seemed to her).

"We found a waterfall just two miles away," he announced to the people with just the right amount of emotion and a wide gregarious smile.

The people were happy. They whistled and shouted with unprecedented excitement.

In the midst of it all, she watched Kate whose eyes reflected a glint of hero worship, hand Fitz her backpack which had the rest of the water bottles so that he could continue receiving all the glory.

Finally, she felt the heat of his gaze staring back at her. Somehow, Olivia had the distinct impression right then and there that he'd known all along that she had been watching...what's more, he didn't seem to be the least surprised to see her standing on her own two feet.

**A/N: **Sawyer is my favorite character from Lost, he's a reformed bad boy. In this chapter though, Sawyer acted like a jerk so he deserved what he got from Olivia :) I'd been on the fence about writing him in such an unfavorable light, but if any of you want me to keep on writing bad boy Sawyer, let me know,

NEXT CHAPTER: M rating, _This time is for real_ :)

**Please leave your comments, they're very much loved,  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **Thanks to all for your reviews and support. It really means a lot to me. And just to illustrate how much, I'll tell you a true story: I've been writing fanfiction for a while giving my all yet I almost quit due to the little feedback my stories were receiving. Then, this friend of mine insisted I watch Scandal and I was hooked from the first episode (Incidentally I watched all 3 seasons on Netflix in less than a month). Still, I wasn't expecting much of a response when I first posted this story so I'm still in awe of such amazing support. But I will never take it for granted, that's for sure... and I do indeed treasure every single one of your reviews :)

* * *

Olivia moved to the long banquet style table that Locke had built practically from scratch and got herself a bowl and a fork. It really had been quite fortunate they had found whole 20 piece dinnerware set complete with silverware in one of the suitcases which had miraculously survived the crash intact.

Yet, because of the large number of survivors, they had to take turns eating. Sun, Olivia and two other women had worked together serving and washing the plates and utensils in the ocean. Although, Sun had insisted on carrying out the bulk of the work.

Earlier, Olivia had a small serving of the meat but had not touched the mangoes which had been cut into succulent slices, thinking she would help herself after most people were done eating.

Olivia's taste buds were absolutely delighted with her first bite; these mangoes were definitely going to satisfy her sweet tooth.

"Boy, howdy, It looks like Mr. Fitz is about to give a speech."

She looked up to find Sawyer's bluish green eyes smiling at her. Her gaze traveled down his well toned body And she had to admit he was one sexy devil whose greatest downfall was his big mouth...**  
**

"May I have your attention, please" Fitz began, the clamoring voices of the crowd died down almost as soon as he spoke. "There are some choices to be made. I believe our best bet is to move our camp down to the caves, to our source of fresh water..."

"What if a rescue helicopter swings by while we're stuck deep in the jungle?" Sawyer countered in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "What then? How are they gonna spot us then?"

Even from a distance, Olivia could tell that Fitz's expression had visibly narrowed at the sight of her standing by Sawyer.

"Our best chance of survival is to be spotted by a plane or boat," Sayid suddenly spoke. "We need everyone here at the beach making sure the signal fire is burning at all times...not in some cave deep in the jungle," his voice became increasingly animated, "That's suicide!"

Fitz furrowed his brow. "I tell you what suicide is," he paused looking out into the expectant faces of the audience, gaining momentum. "Staying here in the sun with no water!"

People started talking over other people's voices.

"What d'ya think, Sweetheart," Sawyer mumbled awfully close to Olivia's ear. "Are you gonna stay here and increase your chances of rescue or venture out into the caves and hide with your hero boyfriend?"

"I don't know. I haven't made up my mind yet." Olivia said nonchalantly.

"You're better off here with me. I ain't no hero, but at least with me you know what you're getting, " he said with a certain undeniable charm. Olivia had to admit that probably the best thing about Sawyer is that he didn't hide who he was.

Sawyer followed Olivia's gaze: Right in that moment Kate was smiling at Fitz.

"If you're wondering about Kate, " Sawyer went on with ease, "It's called the hero worship transference syndrome." Sawyer smirked. Noting a glint of amusement in Olivia's eyes, he added, "I read it in _Psychology Today_ at the gift shop while waiting for our flight. It was either that or _Cosmopolitan's_ best sex moves."

Feeling a little rush up her cheeks, Olivia pinched another sliced mango with her fork and ate it knowing that Sawyer was watching her intently. The piece of fruit was so incredibly juicy that it practically melted in her mouth.

"Anyway, that's how it goes...Jack is gone, Kate found herself a good substitute..."

"Hmm, yeah, " Olivia continued enjoying her mango. "If I didn't know any better I would say you're pretty hung up on Kate which is _really_ sad..." she paused for effect, "since she won't even give you the time of day." She went on in between bites, thinking there must be some kind of poetic justice going on...for a guy who's had more than his fair share of women falling at his feet.

"Well, this ain't about me, Sweetheart, " he quickly responded. "Glad to see you're taking this pretty well, though... still, I bet it won't hurt to show them a thing or two," he added his eyes twinkling with a certain charm. "What d'ya say we show your Mr. Hero he better not take you for granted?"

Olivia bit her lip and thought about it for a moment. Fitz was still occupied engaged in a discussion with a group of people; it appeared that every one wanted their voice to be heard on the matter of the beach vs. the caves. She couldn't help but notice Kate hanging onto his every word.

* * *

**xxx**

"Lennon was brilliant," Hurley commented a little while later with a dreamy look on his face. "If he were alive today...can you _Imagine_?"

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Hurley had turned on the only boombox that still worked. The tape in the player started playing _Yesterday_.

"Oh, please, Lennon was an idealist fool, " Fitz countered back. "Have you really listened to his song lyrics? _Give peace a chance...imagine all the people living life in peace?_...seriously? " he sneered. "Utopia, fairytale are just some words that come to mind that are fairly representative of what he stood for..."

"I'm not all that familiar with John Lennon," Kate cut in trying to steer the discussion away from politics. Plus, she was not much into oldies and frankly, her generation (she was in her mid twenties) was far too removed from Lennon's to care much. "But I do like _Yesterday_, it's a sweet song... and _Stairway to Heaven_ "

"I believe that was Led Zeppelin." Fitz corrected her. "I mean _Stairway to Heaven,_ that is." He clarified.

* * *

**xxx**

A moment later, Olivia put her plate down. Then, she and Sawyer headed down and sat on dry sand to contemplate the ocean.

For a while, they watched Walt play fetch with his dog against the ocean waves. _Yesterday_ started playing in the background and it just so happened that yesterday Vincent the dog had wandered into the camp much to the delight of his young owner.

"So...the thing is, " Sawyer began looking out into the horizon, "Let's say we all pack up stakes for the caves...next day a plane passes by...and they're gonna go on their merry way and be none the wiser."

Even though the constant roaring of the ocean waves playing second to the music, Olivia noticed right away that _Yesterday_ was replaced by another very familiar song: _November Rain_ by Guns n Roses.

"That's one of my favorite songs," Olivia commented.

"Will you dance with me, Olivia?"

At once, Olivia turned to find Fitz standing behind them with his hands in his pockets

"Sure," she gave him a half smile. Then, she glanced at Sawyer who just shrugged and pursed his lips, resigned to losing Olivia's company.

Fitz then gallantly offered her his hand to help her get back on her feet.

Just feeling his hand wrap around hers created this jolt of electricity, a clear reminder of how hopelessly drawn she was to this man.

What's more, his absence only seemed to have intensified her attraction...

By the time they got to the dance floor other couples were already dancing and the long guitar intro of the song had ended, easing seamlessly into the lyrics. Olivia closed her eyes for a moment as Fitz held her close lacing her arms around his neck as they moved slowly to the music,

_When I look into your eyes_  
_ I can see a love restrained_  
_ But darlin' when I hold you_  
_ Don't you know I feel the same_

At this point, she opened her eyes again and met his gaze.

"I knew you would walk..." he whispered, feeling proud of her. "You just needed a little incentive,"

Olivia bit her lip, cocked her head. "Incentive?"

He considered telling her about his cousin Maddie who had this cat with an eating disorder. Convinced that the cat would not survive without her intervention, she fed it milk with a syringe down her throat. Not everyone agreed that Maddie's interventions were the best, some thought she was actually making things worse by making her pet more dependent on her. It wasn't until Maddie went off to college that her cat overcame its eating disorder and actually started gaining weight.

"I looked for you...but you were off with _the outlaw_," he murmured, his voice laced with a touch of jealousy giving his gaze just a hint of quiet vulnerability which she found irresistible.

Olivia closed her eyes again, concentrating on keeping in synch with the music.

Her lack of response intensified the angst that Fitz was already experiencing. Maybe she cared more about _the outlaw_ than he'd originally thought?

"You're coming to the caves with me, right? He pressed on, struck by the sudden realization that gaining the confidence of the people meant nothing if he didn't have Olivia behind him 100 percent.

"Hmm...I'm not sure yet," she answered in a cool collected manner. She was secretly thinking that letting him squirm a bit wouldn't hurt him in the least. Although in all honesty, she had to give the matter further thought.

Seeing her gaze wander, he dipped his fingers below her chin forcing her gaze to his. "I missed you," he hadn't fully realized just how much until he'd returned to camp and their eyes met again. However, he didn't really want to pressure her into making a choice without giving her a chance to think things through. They would have a conversation later about the pros and cons, he decided.

Her gaze dropped a little. "I'm glad you're back," she murmured gazing back at him, her eyes soft with need and desire.

"Livvie, "He breathed, tracing little circles through the fabric of her tank top, vaguely aware that the song was almost over and they would have to separate. "I need you," he pulled her flush against him as to leave no doubt as to what his intentions were for tonite, offering her a part of himself that he would normally keep under lock and key.

He was thinking that no matter what happened, they still had tonite to be together...and that tonite should be about the two of them.

"Let's go," Fitz said, the intensity of his grey-blue eyes taking her breath away, just before placing a soft kiss on her lips that was sweeter than the mangoes she'd had earlier that evening.

In response, Olivia took his hand intending and led him all the way back to their tent.

**A/N:**

Casbru: I'm not sure if you got my message. Anyways, in answer to your question, to get an M rated fic you go to 'filters' at the top of the screen and click on where it says rated k-T and change it to "ALL" so then you'll get a listing of ALL fics regardless of the rating.

READERS: Okay, please don't be mad, next chapter for sure will be M rated!

I miscalculated some, we needed this build-up first :) Plus, this will give everybody a chance to come on board. _If you're having trouble for any reason or are reading this on a device that does not allow you to switch the rating, you can always just check the follow box and you'll just get the link automatically to your e-mail. _

**_Ps. I answer ALL private messages,_**

**_Please don't forget to review, I will keep on writing this story as long as you want to keep on reading :)  
_**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **

Y'all know how much I love guest reviewers? I get ultra-happy whenever a guest review comes in (well, ALL reviews, actually)! Yep, I think it may well be that I find I can't reply back to your reviews so you're sort of mystery. I do love a good mystery. Anyhow, one of you wondered if I could make the chapters longer. (Btw, if you sign your name next time, I'll refer to you by name). Here's my response to you: I'll try my best from now on ;)

So far I've been updating this fic every couple of days, although prior to this my usual rate was an update a week (sometimes longer than that). Chapters for my other stories (other fandoms) were longer but I had a whole week to add all sorts of extra details. I might eventually go to that pattern as we go deeper into this story.

**Thus far, I find myself SO excited about this fic that I can hardly wait to get the next chapter out! Anyhow, this turned out to be the longest chapter ever. Also, it has two flashbacks back to back.  
**

_Crabapplect: _There is a little something for you in this chapter :)

* * *

By the time Fitz and Olivia made it back to their tent the party was nearly over and the moon shone in the night sky to its full dimension.

While lighting a fire just a few inches away from the tent, Fitz waved goodnight to their nearest neighbors Sun and Jin who smiled back and nodded their heads as though they knew exactly what he was thinking.

He supposed they were thinking this was his night to get lucky...and that his girlfriend was about to welcome him home...big time.

Except that Olivia was not really his girlfriend...even though they were technically living together...in a tent, nonetheless.

Yet, there was nothing he could do about that. He couldn't exactly ask her out for dinner and a movie, could he?

He pulled the blue tarp to the side and stepped inside the tent, thinking that on the bright side, he and Olivia had actually shared many intimate moments and that their connection already ran deeper than he had ever imagined possible. Not for the first time he wondered whether their bond would have developed this quickly under normal circumstances.

There she was sitting up on their best blanket, clad in her tank top and white capri pants, with a soft dreamy look in her eyes.

He thought she looked absolutely gorgeous, her lips glossy and with a touch of lustre color.

In two seconds flat he was sitting beside her, his finger pinching her chin and his thumb running across her mouth.

"Fitz, we need to talk, " she murmured.

His brain refused to register her words. All he could think about was her enticing kissable lips.

It was absolutely amazing: The way Olivia's brain fogged over every time he kissed her as though she had just hopped on a runaway train, destination unknown.

They panted against each other's mouths. And in the heat of the moment, she weaved her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, her heart thundering beneath his touch as he slid his hand beneath her tank top.

"Fitz," she mumbled, weakly, her body tingling from head to toe as his caresses grew more demanding, giving up any illusion of control.

Adrenaline continued to rush through his veins at warp speed, as he planted a long line of kisses along her jaw, ending with a gentle brush of her lips. It seemed like forever before he possessed her lips again in a kiss so pure it made every fiber of her being ache for more.

Without losing their connection, Olivia tugged at his dark blue t-shirt, and he pulled it over his head in a flash while she scrapped at his six pack abs with her fingernails. Without losing eye contact, they both scrambled out of their clothes.

Only then did Olivia allow herself to savor Fitz's naked body. He had the perfect swimmer's form: wide shoulders, narrow chest, narrow hips and flaring thighs.

_God, how she wanted him!_

For the first time in all the times they had made out, she trailed her finger tips across his body in a straight line down to his manhood pulsating for her.

He groaned as she encircled his cock with one hand, exposing the full head, already glistening with pre-cum. Then, she moved her hand up and down slowly, making him crazy with anticipation, and eventually increasing the speed until his eyes glazed over.

The power over him was intoxicating. "You like this?" she leaned over for a kiss and he devoured her mouth with escalating, mind blowing passion.

"I want you to come," she nipped his ear. "Will you come for me?" Her voice was like a purring kitten while her hand relentlessly pumped him at a_ good_ speed.

He sought her lips again. "Not so fast," he murmured against her soft lips, reaching out to capture her hand. He took a deep breath. "I want to be inside you, and then I'm gonna fuck you until you see stars..."

A certain dose of suddenly reality registered in her brain and she remembered what she had wanted to talk to him about.

"Fitz...we can't, " she whispered apologetically. "Birth control."

His expression shifted to reveal a sheer look of confusion.

She couldn't be serious, could she?

Yet they both had good reasons to think long and hard about birth control.

* * *

_**FLASHBACK** _

Shortly after their first encounter wherein Olivia asked Sawyer for some sunscreen, she went back to see him once again, this time with a bigger purpose in mind.

She found him outside his tent sitting in a handcrafted beach chair reading _Are You There God, it's Me, Margaret. _

_"_Too predictable...not nearly enough sex,_" _Sawyer snorted.

Olivia's gaze shifted from the book's front cover to Sawyer's amused expression.

"But y'know, beggars can't be choosers..." he added with a twinkle.

Which reminded her of the reason of her visit. "I'm looking for my purse...It's got a short handle, natural tan color...oh, and it has a Prada label engraved in the front, same color." She spoke in a rapid fashion. "You've seen it?"

He clicked his tongue. "Sorry to break it to ya, " he went on with mock sorrow, " but we weren't able to save any of 'em purses..." he shook his head slightly, his brows rising. "My best guess is that they weren't as lucky as the luggage riding first class in the cushiony cargo compartment."

Olivia's face dropped. Deep down she'd still had been holding on the faintest hope of being able to find her purse.

"So what's in that purse of yours that you need so bad that you're willing to swallow your pride and come back to me ?"

In all truth, aside from her birth control, she had literally carried _her life_ with her in that purse. For one, she would love to get beauty/makeup kit back...and a mirror. Although blissfully mirrors seemed to be the one commodity hard to come by. She needn't look in a mirror to 'know' what her hair looked like in the morning (and for most of the day, actually). Humidity did such a number on her hair that it felt as though it had been attacked by teasing pillow gnomes.

Thus, if she could only find her tiny 2 oz bottle of _Silk_ (which she kept in her purse at all times to smooth flyaway s or in case of a sudden humidity attack).

Yet if she mentioned any of these things at a time when everyone was so focused on survival would make her _appear_ hopelessly vain, wouldn't it?

So Olivia gave herself a 20 second pep talk. It was her birth control pills that she needed the most to prevent PMS attacks...and also, just in case...

Oh, shit, heaven forbid she _somehow_ got pregnant on the island. Anyone with half a brain would agree that would certainly be the worst possible scenario.

"Now if you don't mind, I'll go back to reading my book." Seemingly bored by the long silence, Sawyer opened his book to the right page.

"You do spend a lot of time reading, don't you?" Olivia observed in a neutral tone with no trace of judgement. "So while everyone else is running around working, you're reading..."

"The thing is... I like to think," Sawyer smiled, tiny dimples showing. "Winston Churchill used to read a book every night...said it helped him think better." He cocked his head, pausing for effect. "Some people though...would rather keep themselves busy all day so they don't have to think."

Olivia considered that. Who was she to argue against the value of reading?

"Anyhow, What else can I do you for? Look, if you're not willing to tell me what you're looking for how can I help you find it?"

"Okay, okay..." she took a deep breath. "Promise not to throw in one of your infamous comeback remarks or snappy one liners?

Sawyer chuckled. "Pinky promise," he chuckled again, sporting his dimples to their fullest expression.

"I need my birth control pills," Olivia said.

Sawyer cocked his head in amusement and was about to say something when Olivia was quick to add, "ah ah...pinky promise!" She nearly chuckled at the silly term coming out of her own lips.

"Aw...here I was thinkin' that you were just a little stuck up and took yourself way too seriously! Yet..."

"Just tell me if you got any..." she interjected impatiently. "I'm sure you've found all kinds of things in those suitcases..."

Sawyer thought about it for a moment. "As a matter of fact, I did find some..." he spoke, his amusement quickly fading. "But it's been a week since the crash...and even a fool like me knows you can't skip that many days if they're gonna work.."

Olivia sighed. Yes, of course she knew that. She'd just been telling herself that getting back on the pill was definitely better than nothing.

A few moments later, Sawyer emerged from his tent, contraceptive packet in hand. "Good luck," he clicked his tongue. "Cause you sure as hell are gonna need it."

* * *

_**FLASHBACK.**_

It went without saying that his relationship with Mellie had been doomed from the start. They'd met at a bar one day when he'd had a drink too many. It wasn't till later that he learned that she worked as an attorney for his competitor across the street.

Their rocky start didn't get any better one day when she showed up at his law firm waving a pregnancy test in front of him.

It wasn't until then that it had dawned on him that well, yeah, maybe they hadn't used _any_ protection? The truth was that he couldn't remember much.

She had said something about him dodging her calls for over a month? Had it been a month already, he'd wondered.

Just when he thought things couldn't possibly get any worse, Mellie acted supremely offended/bitchy when he kindly suggested they do some paternity testing.

So yes, ever since then he'd known by personal experience that the consequences of getting too happy go lucky in the birth control department. Their one night stand had regretfully turned into a 'life I can't stand', wherein arguments and misery prevailed.

Now, it wasn't that he didn't love his daughter; in fact he adored little Karen.

In fact, he could still hear his daughter's voice pleading: "Daddy, Daddy, one more story, please, please, Daddy!" every single night before bed because she knew that all that pleading would eventually pay off.

Yet he'd long decided that one kid was more than enough and no, he didn't need a boy to carry the family name, thank you very much. Hell, no!

He'd be more than happy to be the last Grant in his family tree. In fact, he would be supremely honored.

* * *

_**PRESENT TIME**_

After listening to her reasoning of how the effectiveness of the pill had plummeted from 99 % to roughly 20% (if that), he replied, "we'll just have to go the old fashioned way."

Sitting up straighter, she gave him a long blank look.

"When it's time..." he breathed a little sadly, "I will pull out."

For some reason, it took her a minute to fully register what he was saying...for THAT was something she would have never considered.

She supposed it could work.

"I don't know..." she hesitated.

"Please," he begged with sad puppy eyes, tracing little circles down her back as low as he could go, her defenses plummeting fast.

Actually, she _wanted it_ to work...

Reclaiming her lips, a gasp escaped from her throat: half laugh, half moan. She dug her nails into his shoulders, desperately searching for something steady to hold on to, as he deepened the kiss and lowered her onto the blanket.

She squirmed from beneath his body, as his tongue explored every inch of her skin; every throbbing nerve in her neck, every curve and hollow.

Just when she thought he would never get down to her downy mound, he teased her to his heart's content...stopping just short of her clit. She bit her lip as his tongue came back up again to her hardened nipples.

The tables turned again. "Fitz! I want you now," she found herself panting, begging.

His hand trailed down to her clit again.

As soon as he slid his fingers inside he realized that she was warm and ready for him.

She moaned again, this time much louder, her muscles deliciously contracting around his fingers...and she came explosively, her head wildly shifting side to side.

Unable to hold himself back, he drove into her, his passion raw and untamed. It paved the way for her body to safely embrace him and bursting into warm shooting rays of light, sunlight, starlight.

She was so...incredibly, amazingly wet...

She wrapped her legs around him, wanting to feel him deeper and deeper...

He was as close to coming as wildfire, however, _wonder of wonders_, he remembered their agreement and started pulling out from her.

She moaned in protest, her mind caught in some eternal present, her body caught in an everlasting and continuous wave of pleasure.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined _this_ was even possible,

"No! stay...inside...stay..." she breathed, all rational thought out the window, wrapping her legs tighter around his waist...not ever wanting this to end. All she knew for certain was that it felt right, meant to be.

For one brief moment he was perfectly still... gazing into her eyes, as though making a silent promise to worship her from this moment forward,

Then, he started thrusting again, this time deliciously slow...yet landing a hard kiss on her mouth.

And time stood still AND they both thought they were in heaven...

And she came again with wild abandonment.

He came within seconds, all while maintaining eye contact.

Happy, smiling and spent, Olivia shivered a little.

As though they had known each other all their lives, they had reached their climaxes noisily, heartedly and completely.

"You're amazing," he smiled at her with hopeless adoration, rolling to his side yet still pulling her close to maintain their connection; this incredible connection which struck a chord in him so deep he was sure he'd never experienced it before.

**A/N:** **If you liked this, tell me what you liked best, **

**Thank you for your fantastic support! You guys keep me writing day and night, **_even my family's starting to wonder where I've been :) _

**Love y'all,**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:**

**Readers:** Last chapter's comments really made me smile! Often, I get my inspiration from your comments. About the flashback in this chapter: All along I knew I wanted to do a flashback about Fitz, Mellie and his past. Yet, I had several ideas. But then, Cleo's comment sparked a host of new ideas; it was like a light-bulb turned on in my head, now I've got several flashbacks for the next chapters. So here it is, hope y'all like it.

NOTE: There's some smut along with some plot in this chapter, :)

* * *

Shortly after their lovemaking, Olivia and Fitz fell asleep blissfully in each other's arms.

She woke 4 hours later, a longing deep in her loins that drove her to reach for his manhood with loving strokes. Amazing how just a single touch could stir a sleeping giant.

"Good morning, she said as he opened his eyes, her mouth moving as though she was chewing something.

"Good morning, " he replied with a half smile, rubbing his eyes. It took him a few seconds to realize that it was still dark outside their tent. His eyes focused back on Olivia with adoration, as though he was happily married husband waking up on the first morning of his honeymoon.

"Close your eyes, " she commanded with a smile. When he did as told, she popped a breath mint in his mouth.

"A breath mint?" he chuckled for a second. Then, his expression grew serious. "Sorry, it won't happen again, " he murmured wide awake now, his voice laced with regret.

Olivia's heart sank. _So last night had been a mistake?_ She huffed out a breath, "No apologies needed," she glanced away.

"Livvie...I meant...I should have pulled out like I said I would," he clarified. He had expected her to be upset or at the very least be in a blaming mode. For the first time since the crash he'd thought of his ex-wife, since that's exactly how she would have reacted. He shook his head, chastising himself for assuming the worst in Olivia. The only thing he had going in his defense was that he'd lived with Mellie for such a long time it had embittered him in more ways than he had realized.

* * *

FLASHBACK

Preparations for the wedding had been extravagant, as Mellie had insisted on perfection. She obsessed over every detail from flower arrangements to guest lists. Fitz grew tired of all that and almost called off the wedding but then again he wanted to do right by their unborn child. The thing was that their marriage was to be one of convenience: one where he conveniently kept an eye on the competition. Mellie worked at the law firm of his greatest competitor: his father Jerry, a ruthless man willing to go to any lenghs to come up on top and teach his son a lesson or two in the process.

As soon as Fitz found out that Mellie had just been hired by his father that same day that they'd met at a bar, he'd had his suspicions that big Jerry, larger than life Jerry was behind it all.

Yet, more than anything in the world, Fitz was equally determined to show his father that he was his own man which was the reason he had started his own law firm instead of working under his dad's wing. Except that he had unwittingly fallen into the hands of the very woman Jerry had chosen for him. There was nothing he could do about that... except he still had a card or two under his sleeve.

But what really toppled the wedding cake, so to speak was Big Jerry's confession in the midst of Fitz's and Mellie's wedding reception.

"Now that we've toasted the bride and groom several times, I'd like to take a moment to express our joy and heartfelt warmth in welcoming Melody into our family. " he held up his glass in toast. "From the minute she walked into my office that one September morning not that long ago, I knew she was the one for my son," he winked at Mellie, holding his glass higher and spilling some of his champagne, a dead giveaway that he'd had a drink too many. "Needless to say, I hired on the spot, I just knew it... she had what it takes to get that hardheaded son of mine to give up his bachelor ways ..."

At this point, Fitz threw his cloth napkin on the table, struggling to keep his anger at bay. It wasn't that this was news to him, it's just that it was incredibly humiliating to hear his father announce it to the whole world. It made him feel like a puppet. "That's enough, Dad, " Fitz clenched his teeth. "Other people need a turn and you're slurring your words," Fitz added giving the floor to the best man sitting beside him on the other side of Mellie.

The best man began speaking at once and the transition went rather smoothly all things considered, still Fitz did not hear a word said after that. It took a lot of self control to continue sitting there, smiling at Mellie at just the right moments just to show everyone that his father had not gotten the best of him.

However, his anger seeped through the minute he found himself alone with Mellie. "Leave me alone, " he hissed, tugging at the tie of his tuxedo as though he wanted to rip into pieces. "I can't stand the sight of you right now..." he turned away.

"Fitz...I know what you're thinking but you got it all wrong," she began in a pacifying tone. "I know he made it sound like...listen, he didn't..." she trailed off, frantically looking for the right words. "Look, I liked you from the minute I saw you, otherwise I wouldn't have gone along with it.." she tried putting a hand on his shoulder but he shook it off as though she was a venomous snake.

"How much!" this was more and exclamation than a question. "Tell me, how much did he pay you to warm up my bed! He spat, staring at her with palpable wrath.

Mellie raised her hand to slap him, but stopped in midair, bursting into a sea of tears. "This is our wedding day!" she shook her head in utter disbelief. "This is our wedding day, for heaven's sake!"

At that point, Fitz became aware of the hushed voices of some of their wedding guests outside the hallway of the room they were in. Giving Mellie one last look of disdain, he walked out of the room.

* * *

PRESENT TIME

"I"m not mad..." Olivia reassured him. She was willing to take responsibility for her part. That meant she would have to deal with the consequences in a mature manner.

He breathed a sigh a relief and his whole body visibly relaxed. He couldn't even begin to describe how good it to be free to be himself...with this extraordinary woman.

I don't know what kind of spell you've cast on me, " her voice was low and playful. "But All I know is that I want you, I want you," She straddled him, took of her nightgown giving him a front row seat view of her breasts and he instinctively reached out to fondled them (cupped them, weighed them) while she trailed kisses across his chest... feeling his growing erection against her belly.

Unable to take it anymore, Fitz rose and pulled her hair back which gave him access to the full length of her neck. "You're one frisky kitty, you know that?" he roared with the single-mindlessness of a lion who has just been let out of his cage.

Placing a hard kiss on her mouth, he swiftly flipped her onto her back. This time he was not gonna let her down and pull out the way he was supposed to. Still that didn't mean that they couldn't have some fun...

Olivia found the frenzied passion in every single one of his movements bring her own lust for him to incredible heights, thus she opened her legs wide for him as his tongue trailed down towards her wet pussy.

Except that he took his sweet time getting there which was driving her insane. He kissed every inch of skin in all surrounding areas, his hot breath hovering around her inner folds. Then his tongue would lick around her inner thighs, traveling down south and making it back again to the outer lips... happily ignoring her clit which made every nerve in her body tingle in anticipation.

Yet just when it seemed that he would finally make it there, his tongue would continue it's relentless assault everywhere but _there..._

"Fitz, Fitz!" she gasped, struggling to catch her breath.

Suddenly, his thumb and forefingers opened her pussy, and held back the lips as wide as possible. Her mind went blank as though she'd been deprived of oxygen as he sucked in her wetness. He sucked every fold, the standing ridges, the helpless clit...all into his mouth at once.

"You taste so good," he mumbled, on a high from her pheromones, gazing up to see her face. Her eyes had a frenzied look, her hair was out of place; she was like a woman possessed.

He released the suction hold and moved his tongue around her pussy wildly; up through the mazes, the ringing and jingling were almost more than she could bear.

At the last minute, he inserted two fingers inside her pussy and moved them until he found her G spot while gently caressing her trail of tears.

Then, he slithered up the length of her body and landed a hard kiss on her lips as though there would be no tomorrow, wanting nothing but to drive into her with unleashed force.

She was literally shaking with feverish expectation. "Oh, God..." she moaned as the tip of his cock lingered around her opening, teasing her SO mercilessly. She needed to feel the length of him all the way inside...NOW!

Lifting her pelvis, she reached for his cock and guided it inside her.

This time her moaning increased ten fold, feeling as though she was going to explode into a million pieces and there would be no more Olivia Pope. "Oh, God, Oh, God," she cried, tears running down the corner of her eyes.

And she came right then just when he had barely begun thrusting into her, surprising them both as they didn't expect it so fast.

Feeling on the verge of his own orgasm cause nothing gave him more pleasure than her pleasure, he pulled out and came all over her breasts.

Their hearts still beating wild, they lay in each other's arms as the moonlight poured down and warmed them. They talked for a little about what they would do once they left the island, while the cool breeze dried their naked bodies.

"I would go first go to In- N- Out Burger and get a double cheese burger, " he sighed.

"So you liked..._ in n out_...didn't you?" she whispered her tone marked with playful sexual innuendo.

"In more ways that you can imagine," he smirked back. "I believe you did too."

"_In n out_, definitely the best, " she brushed his lips with her index finger. "Anyhow, the first thing I would do is sleep for 2 days straight in my comfy bed..."

"Actually...the first thing I would do is take you out on a proper date." he said with a sheepish expression as though he was fifteen and asking the girl of his dreams to go to the prom with him. "You like Japanese food?"

"Hmm...yeah."

"How about n/naka in L.A?"

"That would be perfect, " she'd been there once on a date and the food was absolutely divine. She'd heard that it had been voted best restaurant in Los Angeles. "Although right now, even _In- N- Out_ sounds good."

Olivia's lips curved into a dreamy smile, thinking how wonderful it would be, happy that his plans for the future included her. She rested her head on his chest...feeling as though she was in heaven, as though she was living one beautiful fairy tale (minus them being lost on a deserted island, but _what what the heck_, life is not perfect, right?)

As though exactly what she was thinking, the prince wrapped his arms around her even tighter and placed a loving kiss on her forehead.

**A/N: ****Please keep on reviewing :) Reviews keep me writing day and night,  
**

**Hey, did I hear you right? Too much smut, gives up more plot! Okay, okay...if that's what YOU want...**


	16. Chapter 16

Early the next morning, Olivia woke to the nudging of a wet nose against her cheek. She nearly startled until she discovered that it was Vincent the dog. She couldn't help but smile warmly at the white Labrador who reminded her so much of her favorite childhood pet.

Fitz who had gone for a morning swim, came back to their tent dripping wet and found her happily interacting with the dog. He grabbed a towel and dried his hair, sporting a boyish smile.

"Good morning," he sat beside her and pecked her lips with a short kiss. "I see we have company this morning, " he said referring to Vincent who was wagging his tail happily hoping for more attention.

"We discussed it, Vincent here and I" Olivia started in a jovial tone, giving the dog a belly rub. "We decided you wouldn't mind. He's moving in with us."

"Is that so? " he leaned back in a relaxing manner, studying her beautiful face. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but there's no more room here for you, bud," he said giving Vincent a friendly pat. "It's either me or the dog," he peered at Olivia with a playful glint in his eyes.

"Oh, gee," she paused. "That's a tough choice." she shrugged as though for a moment she just couldn't make up her mind. "Well...I guess.." she leaned in to whisper in his ear, "I guess I choose you..."

He rewarded her with his best lighthearted smile, tiny crinkles bouncing off the corner of his eyes.

It was just so easy this relationship between him and Olivia, as though they'd known each other forever. He didn't doubt for a moment that their relationship would work out just as easily out in the real world.

In fact, there was a moment, just a moment when the scene in front of him appeared as though it weren't happening right now but as if it was taking place sometime in the future...and that this morning was just an ordinary morning in a long procession of mornings together.

Olivia was thinking something along the same lines, as she admired his looks: shirtless, wet and so dammed hot. Plus he had this happy glow around him that made him look at least 10 years younger.

Their eyes met, smiling. Fitz leaned in for another kiss, a much longer kiss.

He tried to put a label on that elusive slippery sensation that had taken hold of his heart... that one sensation most of us pursue for a lifetime. Sometimes we find it when we least expect it under the most extraordinary circumstances...sometimes it happens just when we had become convinced that this thing otherwise known as happiness was nothing more than a myth.

Vincent wiggled himself between them breaking the kiss, licking their faces, reminding them of the here and now. They both laughed at the dog's antics.

Just then they heard Jin approaching them with raw fish on a tray. He threw in a few scraps for Vincent to catch in the air and then said something in Korean which Olivia and Fitz interpreted as him saying that Vincent had already had a hefty fish meal.

"Love sushi," Fitz took a few bites while taking the time to thank Jin for his gesture. Not exactly his first choice as a breakfast meal but what the heck, he was starving.

Olivia helped herself to some of the fish, while Vincent lay contentedly beside her. She smiled at Jin in a thankful gesture, thinking that Jin had become quite adept at fishing with a net, in fact he was so good at it as though he was a fisherman by trade.

Out in the distance, they saw Hurley trotting over to Fitz, out of breath and panting. It was obvious that he had rushed over and that him being significantly overweight did not do him any favors.

"Fitz...some people want to start heading out to the caves. They don't wanna wait. Kate says that we should wait for you to lead the way. " Hurley paused, catching his breath. "You're our leader now, everyone looks up to you, " he punctuated his words with a touch of admiration and a clear sense of expectation that said _don't let us down now._

* * *

**_FLASHBACK_**

Once upon a time when Fitz was eleven years old he ran for class president. One sunny Saturday, he invited two of his friends over to help him run the campaign. They were working on a poster, their supplies scattered across a spacious counter-top when Big Jerry walked in the kitchen and peered curiously at their work.

The poster read: Vote for Fitz! underneath was a picture of Fitz wearing his baseball uniform looking cool. Under the picture were the words: l promise to: 1) Advocate for less homework, 2) Longer recess and 3) Ice cream Fridays for everyone!

"Too cluttered, too many words, the stencil you used makes the letters look grotesque." Big Jerry stated, his critical eye fixed on his son.

"We'll be handing out suckers on election day, Mr. Grant," Fitz's friend Rodney said with a big goofy smile, in a clear quest for approval.

"Don't make promises you can't keep...do you seriously believe you're gonna convince your teachers to assign less homework? " Big Jerry threw another jab at his son. He paused staring at him long and hard as though he was a bug to be scrutinized under a microscope. "So... you want to be a leader, Fitzgerald," he rubbed his chin, raising his brow.

In the future whenever Fitz recalled this moment, the thing that struck him the most like a ton of bricks was the look on his father's face...the irrefutable proof that no matter what he did, _it would never good enough._

"Every kid in America wants less homework, dad, " Fitz replied in a defensive tone.

"I've been listening to your buddies here talk for a while...all of these are _their_ ideas! (_Aha! You've just admitted to eavesdropping, dad!_) But you don't seem to have any of your own," he scoffed. "If you ask me, you're acting like a follower, not a a leader. A leader knows that you can't always please the crowds and that hard choices need to be made. " he peered over at the poster and shook his head. "Like for instance, you could offer to make sure that every kid in your class who's struggling gets the right kind of tutoring after school...now," he tilted his head just so, "that's a promise worth something, son."

"Oh, yeah, dad...I bet everyone is dying to get tutored," Fitz answered back rolling his eyes.

"They're not, of course not," Big Jerry readily agreed. "That's why you need to word it properly...you say you will personally make sure that everyone gets better grades. Now that's a promise you could keep. Will take some sacrifice on your part, though..."

The other two boys exchanged looks of disbelief, feeling instantly sorry for Fitz for what they considered impossibly high standards.

"You mean Fitz would need to spend ALL his free time doing other people's homework, " Rodney said in a deflated tone. "Some people in my class, Mr. Grant are so dumb that they just never get it."

"Yeah, like Lenny the retard...you could literally spend all year trying to get 2 plus 2 across his thick skull, " the other boy laughed.

"I wouldn't worry about this boy Lenny," Big Jerry's lips curved into a slow smile. "He's not the one Fitzgerald should be trying to impress," his gaze shifted to Fitz. "Now, let's hear your speech," he added rubbing his hands together.

Fitz' face dropped. He hated being put on the spot like that plus he knew his father would be no help. "I don't have it ready yet," he replied, his tone standoffish.

"Well, no time like the present to start working on it. " Big Jerry took a seat on the nearest bar stool, making himself comfortable. "Let's see what you got so far," he spread his arms across the counter to show his readiness to evaluate what else the boys had been working on.

"I don't need your help, dad, " Fitz hissed, thinking that any help of his dad was akin to accepting help from his number one opponent.

"Suit yourself, son. Just remember this: the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel. *" Big Jerry stated with a smug look on his face.

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

* * *

Upon realizing that he was not getting much attention now that Fitz, Olivia, and Hurley were engrossed in a serious conversation, Vincent dashed off to chase the waves and any critters that resided along the shore.

"I think we ought to stay here. " Olivia noted with determination. She was not really keen on making camp at the caves. For one, she really believed that their chances were greater of being spotted by a plane if they stayed at the beach. Plus, she was used to the constant sound of the roaring waves in background which usually lulled her to sleep even on her most restless nights.

_**"**_Dude, even**_ the leader of the free world _**listens to his advisers,_** "**_ Hurley commented nonchalantly, seeing the look of uneasiness on Fitz' face.

"At least come to the caves with me and check them out," Fitz said to Olivia. "Sunscreen will not last you forever you know."

"Sure," she took a deep breath. "I will. Still, I think that for now, we should take just a small group with us...the rest of us," she thought about this for a moment. "Um...I think you and I should come back here."

"Why? Tell me a good reason," he challenged her.

"I think that...the problem that people are having with you suggesting that we all pack up and move to the caves...is that they're interpreting this as though you're giving up," she said while petting Vincent who was back and was now listening intently as though he understood everything that was going on.

"I...I have not given up!" he was outraged at the suggestion.

"I know you haven't...but I'm just telling you that's exactly how it's been perceived...as though it is a permanent solution...as though we would be giving up hope of rescue, " her eyes brightened as words seemed to flow with natural ease. "For that reason alone, you should remain here on the beach. More than anything, everyone needs to feel secure that you're here to be their leader... and that you, Fitzgerald Grant ARE NOT giving up!" she concluded with a confident look in her eyes that spoke volumes.

Fitz thought about it for a moment. He appreciated Olivia's sharp mind. Also, it seemed that following her suggestion might be a good compromise.

"She's right, Dude," Hurley interjected. "Only a few of us should make camp at the caves. You as our leader, should came back and forth during the day to reassure people that you're keeping an eye on things, " his gaze lingered on the structure of the tent as though he was thoroughly inspecting it. He smiled as though he'd finally decided it had passed the inspection. "But your tent should remain here at the beach."

* * *

**_xxx_**

A couple of hours later, Fitz and Olivia were on their way to the caves with a group of fifteen which included Claire the pregnant girl, Hurley, Kate, sun, Jin, Walt and his dad, and Vincent of course.

The rest of the survivors stayed at the beach except for John Locke who was out hunting and Sayid who was still working on the radio transmitter.

"Do they understand that they're giving up their tent on the beach?" Olivia said of Sun and Jin. Not for the first time, she felt sorry for them. She would hate to be in their situation for they actually did not have a voice in the decisions that the group made; not to mention that in general, in the big scheme of things they had little idea of what was going on.

"It's hard to say, really," Fitz replied, the midday sun was making him sweat profusely and thus he tried to focus on walking at a steady pace.

"I think they will understand once they get there..." Kate smiled at Fitz as though he had just made a profound philosophical statement.

"Are you staying at the caves, Kate?" Olivia asked, barely able to hide her annoyance, wanting nothing but to keep this woman at bay. Nothing like extraordinary circumstances to bring out the best (by teaming up) AND the worst in people (by competing against one another). In this case, Olivia and Kate were engaged in a not -so- covert form of competition for highest status in the social chain of female survivors. The competition seemed particularly fueled by the fact that among the entire group of castaways, females were significantly outnumbered by males.

Kate gave Olivia a long smile that did not reach the eyes. Then, as if she knew exactly what Olivia was thinking she took her time answering. "I will be wherever I'm most needed," she replied noncommittally.

"Well...If I'm going to be at the beach...you will need to stay at the caves." Fitz countered at once. "With your good tracking skills, you'll be able to lead the group swiftly back to the beach...if for some reason," he took a deep breath. "Something happens and there's a need to evacuate," he concluded continuing to walk at a brisk pace.

Kate nodded and looked away in order to hide the fact that she was NOT exactly thrilled with his suggestion.

Two others started asking Fitz some questions, which left Kate and Olivia walking together side by side.

"Do you think maybe Sayid needs help getting a signal with the radio transmitter? I think I overheard that he was getting a group together for the mountains this afternoon," Olivia noted pointedly. "if you don't want to stay at the caves, that is."

Kate smiled a fake smile. "Sayid already has his people organized, he doesn't need me."

Olivia didn't think that Kate would stay at the caves very long. In the short time she'd known her it had become obvious that the woman could not stay put in one place longer than five minutes.

One thing was for sure, she needed to keep an eye on Kate as far as Fitz was concerned. If she didn't get the hint this time, she would have to find a more forceful way to get her _Fitz is off limits_ message loud and clear.

Once they got to the caves and the others got busy setting camp, Fitz and Olivia took a few moments to admire the waterfall. Each drop of water seemed to fall with its own clarity, making a vast splash upon the level surface of the shallow pool below.

Olivia happily snuggled in his arms and then leaned back some, looping her arms around his neck.

_She's so lovely,_ Fitz thought while tracing her chin with his his finger. He felt as though he could watch her for hours and never grow tired of it.

"Can't wait for tonite, " she whispered in his ear, her words sounding like music to _his_ ears.

**A/N:** * phrase taken from Proverbs 12:15.

**Thanks everyone for your wonderful reviews!**

**Please keep them coming! **

**_What do you think Olivia should do about Kate?_  
**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:**

Hi, everybody. I've been _bad_ about answering questions lately, here are some answers:

1) Some of you wondered whether Olivia's encounter with the boar was a dream. Well, the point of the matter is that Olivia overcomes her fears. Regardless of whether it was a dream or not as it was VERY real for her. Now she's a stronger person and ready to face whatever happens on the island. Furthermore, my overly ambitious goal for Olivia is for her to become a strong female character (incidentally, Shonda did an excellent job with her character in season 1). It's an ambitious goal since in our society strong males are perceived as fine achievers and strong females are seen as overly aggressive and/or bitchy.

2) _Scotchsista:_ At the start of this story, Fitz has been married to Mellie for 10 years. So when they get back to the States he'll have to deal with finalizing his divorce and sharing custody of Karen. By the way, _Cleo,_ Karen is Fitz' daughter. Given that he was not in love with Mellie when they got married, our Fitz would not have married Mellie without a good reason, I think. _Cleo:_ You have the most interesting ideas that have sparked my inspiration on more than one occasion (hey, this rhymes, LOL) I hope you keep them coming!

BTW, I didn't like Fitz having THREE kids with Mellie so in this story, he only has one :)

* * *

Later that day after they got back from the caves, Fitz and Olivia waited until it was close to midnight (and everyone else was asleep) to head out to their secluded spot on the beach and swim together naked under the stars.

Afterwards, they lay together on a beach towel to dry off before putting their clothes back on. They needed to wait until their feet dried off to avoid trailing wet sand back to their tent.

"You need a shave," Olivia noted with a smile while trailing her fingers along his four day stubble. He hadn't been shaving every day as he was trying to save the batteries on his cordless shaver (the no mess type) and use it sparingly. However, he knew that at this point his stubble would probably be too sharp for oral sex. "I'll want to shave you," she offered knowing that shaving was difficult without the aid of a mirror. "Now, stay still for me...and don't move until I say so," she commanded once they were back in their tent. "you need to trust me here," she went taking hold of the shaver and shaving cream.

"Yes, ma'am," he smirked, already turned by her sexy tone.

Olivia returned his smile while running the shaver, holding his face in this and that direction. "Don't even breathe," she admonished him. "There, you are," she leaned back to admire her work. Then, she stroked his face with the back of her hand. SO nice and smooth. "Now...it's your turn..." she handed him the shaver and the can of shaving cream. "I want you to shave me... down there."

He blinked a couple of times. Huh? "Won't it hurt?" he hesitated.

"NO, silly. I've been shaving faithfully for years. My skin is used to it, besides, the shaver won't pull since the hairs are still short."

Fitz smiled lasciviously remembering how nice it was that her pubic hair was trimmed so nicely...now with the shaving, her privates will be SO nice and smooth..."Everywhere?" he asked, pulling her close, setting the shaver on the blanket that was their makeshift bed.

Slowly, she took off her top, capri pants, bra and underwear doing a little sensual dance. "Yes...every nook and cranny," her tone was light and playful. "I really need your help here since they're are some areas I can't reach well..." she added lying down on the blanket and opening her legs for him in preparation.**  
**

He positioned his one and only flashlight up high on a stack of folded blankets to ensure he had enough light.

His fingers started by touching here there with a featherlight touch while applying a small amount of shaving cream. "Now stay still and don't move an inch unless I say so," he smirked while bringing the razor close to her skin."You need to trust me here...do you _trust_ me Olivia?" he playfully repeated her own words back to her, putting extra emphasis on the word 'trust', his lustful eyes surveying her face.**  
**

She breathed deeply. "Yes...I trust you." Of course she trusted him. She had trusted him blindly with her body even back when she had been paralyzed.**  
**

His fingers were incredibly gentle as he parted her labia and carefully shaved her, wanting to avoid at all costs any nicks and cuts around those areas.

The gentle buzz of the razor combined with his touch proved to be more erotic than she had imagined and her insides quivered in anticipation of what was yet to come. Never before had she given so much of herself without reservations or let any man become so intimately acquainted with her body...never before had she trusted anyone this much.**  
**

Very methodically, he continued shaving her, intoxicated by her pheromones and the smoothness of her skin. _Oh, she's really going to enjoy it tonight,_ he thought, _with all her nerve endings SO exposed._

After he was done shaving her, she sat up on her knees, her toes curled under her.

"Thank you," she beamed at him, her entire face radiant, her caramel skin glowing in the semi-darkness of the tent.

They gazed at each other drinking each other in, frozen in time.**  
**

The atmosphere between them slowly shifting, evolving... charging...as they both felt this smoldering exquisite feeling taking hold of every single wee cell in their bodies.

"This is a night you'll _never_ forget, " he murmured, his breathing hitched.

She smiled knowingly, rising to her knees, giving him a full front view of her round and youthful breasts. _Oh yes,_ she knows he'd move heaven and earth to make good on that promise.

As his gaze intensified, she felt all the muscles clench deep in her belly, responding to his dark, hungry gaze.

Holding her gaze, he swiftly managed to remove his pants, shirt and underwear and then inched toward her in a kneeling position... His eyes confident, sexy, and blazing hot. Once their faces were nearly touching, his thumb expertly rolled the end of her nipple elongating it, sending a sweet sensation all the way down to her groin.

His erection was long and incredibly beautiful, bobbing out in front of him like a sword. Olivia encircled his smooth cock with one hand, and then crouched down to take the tip into her mouth while gently scrapping his balls with her fingernails. Fitz grunted and closed his eyes.

Taking him all the way inside her mouth, the tip of her tongue repeatedly caressed the lower shaft until she heard a series of moans.

Then, her tongue slowly found his navel and traveled up his chest, her hands moving up his body in the same direction. Boy, there was not a single ounce of fat on his fabulous body, she marveled.

They shared a hungry kiss and he eased her onto the blanket... and out of nowhere he produced a long handkerchief sporting a slow sensuous smile.

Olivia stared at it intrigued, her pulse quickening. Almost instantly her lips reciprocated into a sexy smile. "Let me guess...you want to tie me up?"

"Not exactly... This will go over your eyes, your hands will be free the entire time... in case you want to take a peek, " he said full of charm. "But I wouldn't do that if I were you...the best thing for you will be the element of surprise."

"Ok, " she agreed, giggling as he tied the handkerchief over her eyes. "I've never..."

"Trust me...this will be great," he said hoping that her pleasure would increase ten fold.

Olivia laid her head back onto the blanket that had been folded many times in the shape of a pillow and found herself relaxing like never before. As she released her body of all tensions, the better it felt what he was doing.

He started by trailing his fingertips along her entire body, admiring her beauty. "Olivia," he sighed, his tongue caressing her name, softly lingering around the "V".

She arched her body as she felt him circle her erect nipple with his tongue and then sucked it. He repeated the same procedure with the other nipple.

Then, his flattened tongue drew a trail down her belly down to her crown. Putting his head between her legs, he drew in a few hot breaths of anticipation. Then, slowly, very slowly his pointed tongue licked her pussy. And her brain turned to Jell-O. And he kept on going and going longer than she ever imagined.

As his expert, joy- inspiring tongue continued its relentless path circling her clitoris, she produced a serious of continuous groans, fisting her hands into his hair.

He clearly loved what he was doing, "you have the sweetest pussy," he went on to trail hot kisses up her belly, breasts and neck. Then, he kissed her deeply, surprising her as his lips were gentle... more adoring than demanding.

Knowing that she was close to coming, he took off the hankie wanting to drink in her wanton desire.

And she came the instant he inserted a finger deep inside as her inner muscles grabbed onto it for dear life.

He shifted to a kneeling position and pulled her hips towards him in one seamless motion. In the blink of an eye, his cock found her entrance and lingered there for the longest time, teasing her, driving her wild. She lifted her pelvis wanting to feel him deeper yet not quite succeeding.

"Fuck me, " she implored. "Fitz, Please..."

Without taking his eyes off her, he moved so that he was now hovering over her. He sank into her at a deliciously slow pace. It felt SO deep, she moaned loudly. Then, he deliberately pulled back to the entrance of her tunnel and then eased his way back inside followed by slow thrusts in in a relentless cycle of madness that had her whimpering incoherently.

"What do you want, Olivia?" he breathed between her breasts.

"I want you...deeper...faster!" right on cue, he started thrusting as deep as he could go...and his slow torturous rhythm picked up the pace like never before and she wrapped her legs around him to ensure that he would stay exactly like that. "Oh, yes, Just like that!"she purred, meeting each and every thrust.

"I'm going to have to pull out..." he mumbled regretfully, thinking that he would not be able to last much longer.

"No! don't go!" she panted for she could no longer bear this intensely agonizing torture... She was SO close to coming again and at this point _nothing else mattered._

Her hips lurched up and readied for that orgasm. She could already feel that this one was going to be a powerful one, the most intense ever...so she held onto the exquisite tension deep inside savoring every second, her legs trembling and weak while short involuntary gasps escaped her throat.

Thrusting hard three times deep inside her, he exploded... filling her with his seed as they both found their release in perfect synchrony, deciding right there that nothing ever felt so right.

In awe, she wondered how was it possible that every time they made love it got better...and better?

Still inside of her, he pressed his forehead against hers. "I love you," he breathed overcome with emotion. She had given so much of herself to him like no other woman before her.

And all he heard in response was a deafening silence. This was not the reaction he had hoped for.

He eased himself out of her. "What's wrong, Liv?" he wondered noting that a serious expression had crossed her face which instantly brought forth his own feelings of guilt.

"I don't know..." she replied, pulling back to lay her head on her makeshift pillow, furiously biting her lower lip. She just couldn't explain this sudden feeling of apprehension...this new unexplained certainty that this time she had failed to dodge the bullet...and that she was now with child.

Logic dictated she needed to wait a few weeks to find out for sure. Yet... strangely, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt deep in her heart where intuition resides that she had conceived ... she didn't need a pregnancy test to confirm what she knew was true in her heart.

Even though she appeared preoccupied, Fitz heart grew heavy. He had opened his heart and soul to this woman and the bottom line was that his love declaration had failed to be reciprocated.

* * *

_**FLASHBACK**_

One particular Saturday (years after her mother's death) fifteen year old Olivia walked into the kitchen knowing that she would find James busy with dinner preparations. At this point in her life, she was a high school junior and had been going steady with her boyfriend Ross for over six months.**  
**

After helping herself to a glass of juice, Olivia sat on a bar stool, elbows on the kitchen island with a distracted look about her.

"A penny for your thoughts," James said looking up from his meticulous chopping of a couple of tomatoes and bell peppers, clad in a traditional chef's uniform. Sensing that Olivia was in one of her quiet moods, he asked, "Don't tell me you've had another fight with Ross..."

"Huh...I wanna watch a movie, something romantic...you wanna watch it with me?" Olivia said with a lonely look in her eyes. Even though James was hired help, she regarded him like a member of the family.

"Maybe when I'm done fixing dinner. What do you have in mind?"

Ah, dunno...something romantic, " she reiterated, " maybe they have a baby and they live happily ever after..."

James started at her for what seemed like a full minute, readjusting his glasses and his impeccably white chef's hat. "What's so romantic about that?" seeing the puzzled look on her face he continued, "babies and romance don't mix. Ask any breathing male."

Olivia peered at him dubiously. "For a gay guy, you seem to be weirdly in touch with your masculine side."

James put his cooking preparations aside so that he could give Olivia his full attention.

"You wanna know one of the things that men find the most puzzling about women, " he began with a smile ignoring her comment. "Take note, young lady, you won't find this in your regular _Cosmopolitan_ magazine..." he paused waiting for her smile. "The question that boggles the mind to no end is why women seem to hold on to this..._this notion_ that there is something romantic about having babies...sometimes even to the point of _ruining_ happily ever afters with a wiggly infant in the mix of what otherwise would have been a beautiful love story." he concluded with a deep sigh.**  
**

Olivia's brain couldn't help but zero in one word: "Ruining?"

James threw his head back and laughed. "Yes, my silly girl...take the greatest love stories of all time...how many of them have screaming infants in the background as the closing credits roll in? Well, let's see..." he looked at the ceiling as if searching his mind. "How about none?"

"Nah...I'm sure..."

_An Affair to Remember_, _Pretty Woman_ (he threw in a romantic comedy just for kicks), _The Notebook,_ to name a few...no babies there," he cut in with a challenging look. " Really, can you think of a movie where pregnancy brings love, joy and all good things to your standard of crossed star lovers?"**  
**

The truth was that Olivia couldn't think of a single movie that portrayed pregnancy as romantic. "Well... there is _Sleepless in Seattle._ " she said not wanting to admit defeat. **  
**

"Ah, ah" James shook his head and cocked his head just so. "That one doesn't count. No pregnancy storyline...and the child in the movie is not even theirs."

Olivia's brain worked over time. "_Gone With the Wind!_" she nearly shouted as though she was a contestant in a game show.******  
**

"Well...there is a child in that movie" he conceded still managing to sound dismissive. "Yet their child dies which breaks them apart as a couple. So yeah, I see no romance there, do you?" he concluded triumphantly.

"Just because we can't think of movies like that (she was sure they HAD to exist, she just couldn't think of one at the drop of a hat) ...does not mean that having children isn't romantic, " Olivia insisted with a determined look.

James eyed her suspiciously. "All this talk about romance and babies, what are you really trying tell me here?" With Olivia's father always too busy to pay attention to his daughter, James frequently found himself playing the role of surrogate parent.

"Nothing," Olivia answered in that tone that most parents tend to recognize as _there is a lot going on AND I just don't wanna tell you._

"Olivia, " James only called her by her full name when he was dead serious. "Are you in some kind of trouble? Are you and Ross...?" he scratched his head bewildered trying to put two and two together. "You sure have been acting strange lately...barely eating, overly emotional. What's going on?"**  
**

**A/N:**

For some reason I always pictured James Novak as a chef :) Anyway, here in this flashback scene he's in his early thirties.**  
**

Do you think that James' intuition is right? if so, what is Olivia hiding? Does she have any skeletons in her closet?

**Please leave your comments, they're the best source of inspiration, **

**Thank you so much for your fantastic support!**


	18. Chapter 18

_Olivia is elated. They are finally boarding the helicopter that will take them home. Fitz takes her hand and helped her to her seat. Then, with loving care he buckles her seat belt across her belly, across her baby bump._

_They are finally leaving the Goddamn island. Fitz and she... AND Kate, Sawyer, Sayid and Hurley._

_Fitz sits next to her._

_Kate climbs in on the other side followed by Sawyer who's all smiles. "Hey, Kenny Rogers!" he greets the pilots with a cheer. Olivia laughs thinking that indeed the guy looked like the clone of the country singer. She hardly ever laughs at Sawyer's remarks but she is a good mood. After all, everything is going right, exceeding her wildest expectations._

_They are getting off the island! Finally!_

_"What about the others?" Kate asks Fitz._

_"Don't worry," Fitz says his gaze shifting between Kate and Olivia. "We'll come back for them."_

_The helicopter soars above the mountains of the island that had been their home for so many weeks._

_Olivia nearly squeals in delight as the aircraft makes a sharp turn._

_Now they're overlooking the vast Pacific Ocean leaving the island behind them. She exhales a huge sigh of relief, she can't believe they are finally leaving that godforsaken place._

_"Shit! We're running out of fuel! " the pilot yelled at Sayid who was sitting next to the pilot._

_He's so loud that everyone riding on the chopper can hear him._

_We gotta get every ounce of extra weight off this chopper, NOW! Kenny Rogers the pilot yells back in an urgent tone. "Anything that's not bolted down, TOSS IT OUT!"_

_They toss backpacks into the ocean below and a large metal box that was underneath the seats._

_OH, GOD, NO! Olivia screams in her head as the chopper drops a few feet. _

_"How's that? " Fitz asks the pilot._

_"Huh, I would feel a lot better if we were a few hundred pounds lighter!" Kenny Rogers answers back._

_Hurley's gaze drops down embarrassed about the extra weight he carries._

_Fitz peers at Olivia with a pained look. "I love you..." he says with a lump in his throat. "And our child...You'll be okay, you'll both make it back home...You'll be okay" he reassures her, placing a tender kiss on her lips that takes her breath away._

_Olivia's senses turn to alarm mode. Something is happening, He's acting strange, yet she's not quite sure what's amiss..._

_Next thing she knows Fitz jumps off into the ocean below them without a moments hesitation._

_Olivia screamed Fitz's name so loud that the sound carried above the whooping of the helicopter blades as they cut through the air._

* * *

Two weeks later...

Olivia, wake up, wake up!"

Quite disoriented, Olivia opened her eyes with great difficulty, it was as if her body and mind were making their way back through dense fog. She shook her head and blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear her mind.

"Baby, are you okay? Fitz wrapped his arms around her, his face etched with concern. "You were having a bad dream."

"Oh," she snuggled into his arms, resting her head on his chest.

They were in their tent, and it appeared that she had fallen asleep in the middle of the afternoon. For the past couple of days she had been feeling unusually tired and had taken to napping whenever she had a chance which had not gone unnoticed by Fitz. Indeed, on more than one occasion he had mentioned his belief that she was coming down with a bug of some kind.

"We were in a helicopter, Fitz...we were getting off the island!"

"Hmm...not exactly bad, is it?"

"You would think...except you jumped off the chopper!" she turned to gaze at him with a haunted look. "Oh, Fitz...don't ever do that! Don't you ever leave me like that!"

"Why would I do something like that?"

"The helicopter was running out of fuel and..." she bit her lip anxiously and then took a deep breath. "The pilot thought we could conserve fuel if...less weight, he said would help," she continued rather disjointedly.

"Oh," Fitz nodded in understanding. "So in your dream, I jumped to save your life?"

_And our baby's life too.._. she wanted to say, yet she opened her mouth to speak and no sound came out. With a far away look, she vividly recalled her hand stroking her baby bump. It struck her that in her dream her happiness had been two fold: indeed, she had happy about leaving the island...and also about the baby.

Yet she couldn't do it, she couldn't bring herself to say the word 'baby' or any word related to it.

"Livvie, Baby, I would do anything to save you... if your life was ever in danger," he said in a soothing tone. _Because I love you more than anything,_ he wanted to add yet he bit his tongue. For the past couple of weeks, their relationship had been going great in spite of the fact that she had not ever said she loved him back. He'd been careful not to say those words again, lest his ego be wounded.

She gave him a horrified look. "OH, no, Fitz...please tell me you'll never leave me," she said her tone soft and vulnerable like never before. "Promise me! " she demanded, "Promise me that if we're ever in a situation like that...you'll stay with me!"

He shook his head thinking she was being unreasonable. No matter what, he would still jump off a helicopter so save her life...

"I don't know, baby, I really don't know," he murmured fully aware of the distraught look on her face. "Desperate circumstances call for desperate responses. Really, none of us knows what we'll really do at a moments notice," he paused for effect of what was yet to come. "But I do promise you one thing," he went on in a more optimistic tone, " "under ordinary circumstances, I will never leave you..." he gave her a small boyish smile.

"I will never leave you either...ever," she smiled warmly, snuggling back in his arms. It wasn't exactly the answer she wanted, yet she felt re-assured.

* * *

A few moments later, they heard Hurley's voice outside their tent calling for Olivia.

Both Fitz and Olivia emerged at once sensing the urgency in his voice.

"It's Claire...I think she's having her baby!" Hurley turned to Olivia. "Kate and Sun are at the Caves..."

Olivia gazed out towards the beach and spotted Claire at once relaxing in the sand close to the shore, as though she didn't have a care in the world.

"I know she looks okay...but she's been having contractions for hours," Hurley noted.

Fitz stayed back while Olivia went to join Claire. Even though Claire had initially moved to the caves, she had come back to the beach claiming she missed the sound of the ocean. She now resided in Sun's tent and she and Olivia had become close ever since.

"Hurley's is totally blowing this out of proportion," Claire began nonchalantly as Olivia sat beside her in the sand. "I'm fine...in fact I'm not due for another four weeks."

"How long since the contractions started?" Olivia asked trying to recall everything she knew about women in labor.

"You ever hear of Braxton Hicks?" Claire smiled sweetly, her golden locks shinning in the sun. "They're false contractions," she added followed by an involuntary wince which she tried to dismiss. "Livvie, I can't have this baby...not here, not now, I just can't..."

_So you're thinking it won't happen? _Olivia wanted to say yet bit her lip. "I think in this case, nature has the upper hand..."

"I'm not ready to have this baby," Claire reasoned as though her logic was all that was needed. "I'm not ready to be a mum." she added in her standard Australian accent.

Claire and Olivia had been through this before.

Olivia knew all the details of Claire's story. The young girl had been dumped by her sleazy boyfriend a few months ago and had boarded Oceanic flight 815 to meet the family that was going to adopt her baby; although since the crash she'd had a change of heart and now said she would not go through with the adoption once they got back to civilization. Still, Olivia had the sense that Claire was not altogether stable...maybe due to the pregnancy hormones?

"Is everything okay?" Fitz asked from a bit of a distance.

"Yes, yes!" Claire was quick to respond trying to masquerade yet another contraction into a happy grin.

Fitz took Claire's words at face value. "Olivia, I'm heading to the caves now so I can be back before sundown. I'll be taking our water bottles and re-filling them. I can take Claire's too."

With Claire's permission, Olivia retrieved Claire's bottles from her tent and handed them to Fitz. "I think she's in labor, Fitz" she murmured with slight apprehension.

Fitz shrugged. "It'll be okay," he said sensing that Olivia looked a little uncertain. He reached over to caress her cheek with the back of his hand. "Don't leave her alone too long...listen, just remember that women have been giving birth for centuries with no need of hospitals...maybe when I get back there will be a baby," he grinned. His grin faded almost instantly as he noticed Olivia growing pale. "Are you okay?"

Olivia braced an arm across her forehead, feeling a little dizzy. This was certainly ridiculous! it was too early to be having morning sickness symptoms anyway. Maybe it was all in her head?

"I'll be okay," she smiled brightly at Fitz. "I'm just a little overheated. It's such a hot day."

Fitz nodded and instantly produced a water bottle from his back pack. "Make sure you drink plenty of water, Liv. You need to fight off whatever bug is bugging you," he smiled a little at his own little joke.

Olivia smiled back (although a little less brightly) and took a few gulps of water. "Hmm... I'm feeling better already," she happily reassured him. Then, seeing that he was taking off, she suggested with concern, "Make sure to take a towel and drape it across your head to keep off the heat."

Fitz' heart did a little dance...YES! she cared about him. He bridged the distance between them in two seconds flat and bent his head to kiss her lips with a mix of passion and tenderness. She responded by looping her arms around his neck and melting in his arms.

A second or so later they heard the sound of someone clearing his throat.

It was Sayid. "Fitz! I think I can triangulate the french transmission we've been getting on the transmitter. "We'll set up antennas at different points on the island and..."

"Let's talk on our way to the caves," Fitz cut in. He really wanted to get back to the beach before dark so he dashed off to retrieve his backpack from his tent.

"So you're gonna help Claire with her baby," Sayid commented, his voice sharp and staccato.

"It looks that way," Olivia replied coldly, not the least intimidated by his antagonism. "You and I are due for a conversation," she stated matter of factly.

Sayid raised his brow.

"I remember you...from Australia."

"You clearly have no idea who I am," Sayid declared with an icy glare. Then, he turned and walked away leaving Olivia staring at this retreated form, dumbfounded. She had no idea what he meant by that.

"Liv!" Claire cried out. She was up and about, trying to walk but becomes paralyzed by another contraction.

"Hey, you need to lie down," At once, Olivia rushed to her side and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"No, no, I'm fine!" Claire stubbornly insisted, refusing to lie down. Right then, her water broke.

"Honey, you're having this baby today...stop fighting it," Olivia said in a no-nonsense tone. Claire had to deal with her wistful denial sooner rather than later.

"I'm not ready, NOT ready!" Claire whined gripped by yet another contraction. They were coming fast now. "The baby...it doesn't want me...it knows I didn't want it...babies can sense this kind of thing!"

Olivia sighed. "But you want it now, don't you?"

Claire nodded.

"That's all that matters, Claire," Olivia said in a soothing voice, steering Claire towards her tent. Slowly, they inched their way. "Look, it really doesn't matter...all that matters is how you feel about the baby today," she went on, straightening up blankets for Claire. "Just think of how happy you'll be to finally be able to see your baby's face," she smiled brightly, helping Claire to lie down as she went through another contraction. "Your meeting your baby today, Claire! And he will know you love him, trust me, he will." she held on to Claire's hand. "Babies don't know about the past, they only now about today. "

Claire's face looked a little more hopeful, yet she was still terrified. "I just need a little more time," she said in a pleading tone as if it was up to Olivia. "I'm just not ready, you see..."

"Who's ever ready to become a mom?" It's something...we are never fully prepared for. It's normal to be scared. But you need to let go of that fear, Claire... just think about your sweet baby! "

"NO!" Claire screamed, bracing her legs in pain. "I just want this to end, goddammit!" she hissed.

Olivia's soothing demeanor shifted as she realized that it was probably close to the time when Claire needed to push. "Claire! You need to open those legs!" she demanded seeing that Claire was closing her body up as some kind of protest.

" Make them go away!" Claire motioned to the entrance of the cave. "I don't want anyone but you!"

Olivia peeked outside the tent and saw Hurley standing there with a worried look and a bundle of something.

"You gotta go away, Hurley. She knows you're here."

"Huh...just brought some stuff. " Hurley handed Olivia a pair of scissors. "It's for the umbilical cord. "

"OH, gosh!" Olivia felt a little faint as she realized she had forgotten about that. "Yes, of course!" her gazed settled on what appeared to be a bundle of blankets. "Thanks."

"These are would be cloth diapers" Hurley informed her placing them in her hands. "Sawyer sent them. Apparently, he cut a sheet into squares...oh, and here are some pins too."

For a brief moment, Olivia made eye contact with Sawyer who was sitting outside his tent reading, yet he turned to wave at her right then.

"Olivia!" Claire shrieked.

Olivia hurried back inside the tent. This time she found Claire holding her breath in an attempt to stop the contractions. "OH, no...NO!" she scolded. "You can't do that!" She peeked and saw what it appeared to be the baby's hair. "PUSH, GODDAMMIT, CLAIRE, PUSH!"

Terrified, Claire pushed.

"Push again!" Olivia cried in a commanding voice. "Claire, Claire...I can see his head now! You wanna meet your baby, don't you?

This time Claire bore down with ALL her might which allowed Olivia to gently pull the baby out. "It's a boy...a beautiful boy!" Just like she'd seen in the movies, she cut the cord, wrapped the baby in a towel and placed it on Claire's chest.

Both Claire and Olivia cried tears of absolute joy and relief.

**A/N:**  
NOTE: _The helicopter scene is a real scene from Lost, except Sawyer is the one who sacrifices himself and jumps off in order to save everyone else on-board. _ In this fic though, the scene is ONLY a dream. Perhaps Olivia's subconscious is trying to tell her something and deal with her true feelings?

I've been thinking of starting a new story, I've got several ideas floating in my head but nothing concrete yet. It would probably be set at the end of season 3. If any of you would like to share their ideas about **_what you would like to see in a story,_** I would appreciate it. I usually get my best ideas from readers. Often, a word or two can spark the beginning of a truckload of ideas and/or the beginning of a story. If I do end up using ANY of your ideas I will give you full credit :) plus I will also be handing out some give away prizes (just kidding, just kidding!)

**Please leave your comments,**

_next chapter: Another Olivia flashback._


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** Bear with me here, this chapter was one of the hardest to write, You'll soon see why. Sensitive topics do take a lot of mental energy.

* * *

A week and a half later...

Life on the island had settled into a routine. For the most part, the survivors cooperated in making the best of their situation by sharing their labor and skills for everyone's benefit.

There was little room for selfishness. In fact, most people found ways to be helpful without being asked. Case in point, Claire had an abundance of helping hands which allowed her to sail through those early post-postpartum days without much trouble considering that little Aaron _did not_ sleep like a _proverbial_ baby: his naps lasted ten minutes at the most and tended to wake up at the slightest provocation.

But then Claire came down with a mysterious illness (everyone hoped it was just a virus) which left her unable to care for Aaron.

In an interesting twist of fate, Olivia found herself helping with the baby practically around the clock and bringing it to Claire a couple of times a day for nursing. Furthermore, Aaron expressed in no uncertain terms a clear preference for Olivia's arms. Olivia felt flattered and overwhelmed all at once. While it was wonderful being so fiercely needed by someone so sweet and helpless, it was still humbling to realize that someone so small had the power to rule your world. And the thing was that he wasn't even her child. Some days, she actually looked forward to handing him over to his mother (once she was well again). At other times, she thought she would be hopelessly heartbroken once that day finally came. It seemed though that early motherhood was a roller-coaster of emotions and that the best way to cope was to accept those mixed feelings rather than judge yourself too harshly.

One morning, Fitz came back to his tent to find Olivia sitting indian style holding Aaron across to her chest, humming a lullaby.

Fitz stretched his long, strong body alongside her, propping his head on one elbow. He studied her, utterly relaxed and fascinated as the baby slept peacefully attached to her breast. Her expression was soft, tender and her skin glowed due to something he couldn't quite describe...

_I'm pregnant,_ she said in her head, casting Fitz a long glance. Yet the words had refused to form in her lips. She supposed it was normal to have ambivalent feelings considering this was an unplanned pregnancy. Still, for the most part her maternal instincts had kicked in in a way she could not have anticipated.

"You shouldn't..." he spoke in a quiet voice referring to her nursing. "Umm..You ought to fight some other way of soothing him..."

"Claire it's okay with this, " Olivia reassured him in a hushed tone as to not wake the baby. She took a deep breath. At first, bringing the baby to her breast had been to comfort his sucking instinct and his piercing cries which she had found hard to bear. But now some milk had actually started coming in. "Whenever he's awake all he wants to do is nurse, " she explained. "And with Claire being sick...she really can't..."

"Okay, I understand...but still... " he cut in. Actually he didn't quite understand although he supposed it was a good thing that someone was taking care of the baby. So he said the only thing that made sense. "You might get too attached to this baby," he warned. He tilted his head as he gave the matter further thought. He was thinking that Olivia would make a great mother one day which unexpectedly made her even more alluring and attractive in his eyes than she already was.

In fact, he had always thought of sensuality and maternal feelings in a woman as unrelated polar opposites that could not co-exist. For one, Mellie had been unable (unwilling, actually) to nurse their daughter. In spite of all the evidence supporting breast-milk as the healthiest thing for an infant, Mellie had insisted that nursing cramped her style. Furthermore, his soon-to-be ex-wife actually went as far as to hire a live-in wet nurse for baby Karen which initially drew shock waves among their circle of friends. Although, some of Mellie's air-headed/tongue-in-cheek friends eventually got caught up with this 'new trend.'

Olivia's face dropped. She knew Fitz was right. In fact, she was already quite attached to little Aaron. "I'll stop as soon as Claire gets better."

Seeing the change in her expression almost made him wish he'd kept his mouth shut. "Hey," he sat up and leaned closer to brush her lips with his.

She moaned, every nerve in her body blissfully responding as he started trailing kisses down her neck. "Fitz," she sighed, rolling her neck to the side to give him better access while at the same time, trying not to shift her body too much as it might wake the baby.

Right then they heard a male voice outside the tent calling for Fitz.

With a sigh and a roll of the eyes, Fitz stepped out of the tent to see who was calling

Olivia chewed her lower lip. She had to tell him about the baby (not this baby, THEIR baby). _I'll just wait for the right time,_ she reasoned. After all, she knew better than anyone that timing was everything. She just hoped that he would react positively.

_ The circumstances are all wrong,_ another voice inside her viciously reminded her. _It's all so sudden, you really have no idea how he'll react..._

**_FLASHBACK_**

**_Note: continued from Olivia's previous flashback, chapter 17. Keep in mind that Olivia is only fifteen.  
_**

The next day...

Olivia sat slouched on the couch munching on treats in front of the TV, staring unseeing at the theater sized flat screen. She was surrounded by her friends Anika, Jenny, Quinn and Abby. Just like Olivia, Anika and Jenny attended Ethel Warker School in Connecticut and were also home for the summer. Quinn and Abby had been her friends since her babyhood as they lived in the same neighborhood.

"This is just sooooo sad," Jenny cried as the last scene of _The Titanic_ played on the screen.

"I know...why did he have to die?" Abby remarked referring to Leonardo DiCaprio. "He's so hot..." she lamented.

"This is sooooo romantic," Quinn chimed in. "The ultimate sacrifice. To give your life for the one you love..."

Right then, Olivia felt sick to her stomach and dashed off to the nearest bathroom.

By the time Olivia came back to re-join the group, the closing credits had finished rolling.

"You're life is sooo officially over," Abby pronounced shaking her head and pursing her lips, giving Olivia an 'I- just- don't- get- it' look.

"I still can't believe it, Liv!" Anika said. "Oh, gosh... I was the one voted most likely to get knocked up before my senior year, remember?" she glanced at her friends, looking for confirmation. "But it looks like Liv here beat me to the punch."

The girls ignored Anika's comment.

"What I wanna know is what happened...yesterday you were so happy," Jenny said with concern. "What happened last night at the party?"

Olivia took a deep breath and sniffed trying to hold back the tears. Last night had been the worst of her entire life. After spending the day hanging out with James, Olivia had waited until everyone was asleep to sneak out to her boyfriend's house and crash the most popular party in town. Most of the kids were high school seniors and much older than Olivia.

Olivia slid into the passenger seat of the red Porsche giddy with anticipation, feeling particularly lucky to be Ross' girlfriend. _"I have something to tell you," _she had whispered in his ear. Earlier in the day she had taken a pregnancy test that had turned out positive. Even though it had certainly been an accident, she was sure that Ross would be happy. After all, he had repeatedly told her he loved her and wanted to marry her one day. _"I'll tell you later, after the party"_ she had said wanting to build his sense of anticipation.

Once they were at the party, Ross had actually been the one surprising Olivia by ignoring her, hanging out with his obnoxious friends and getting stone-drunk. "_You're no fun!_" Ross had said with disdain when Olivia had refused to drink any alcohol. Feeling out of place and disappointed at her boyfriend's immature behavior, Olivia had tried to get him to take her back home.

Instead, Ross had pulled a disappearing act. She looked for him for what seemed like hours, as the place was packed with rowdy, out of control teenagers.

Presently, Olivia looked at Jenny looking for some emotional support. "I found him...with his ex...at the party." That was all she could manage to say. The four girls stared at her wide-eyed and waited for her to elaborate.

"Umm...Liv, Did you tell him...about the baby?" Quinn asked once the silence in the room got too overbearing.

Olivia shook her head, hugging a cushion tight to her chest, her body curled up into a fetal position. It was as though she was still in a state of profound shook.

"Oh, GOOD! Don't tell him!" Abby screeched. "That Son-of-a-bitch doesn't deserve you, Liv!."

"We'll blow out his tires," Anika said. "And write nasty messages on his Facebook page. "

"Oh, Livvie," Jenny said putting her arm around her shoulder in a compassionate gesture. I'm so...SO sorry."

"We need to look at the bigger picture here, "Quinn have Anika a disapproving look. "Let's not forget...now Olivia is stuck...what will she do now? I know, lots of girls today do have babies and some even go to college, you know. But, really... let's think...what will her dad do when he finds out? " her eyes widened dramatically to make her point. Heck, she'd probably even get kicked out of her little boarding school...and will have to go to one of those awful schools for pregnant drop-outs...where they smack you with a ruler if you don't know your multiplication tables."

"We're not in the middle ages, Crazy Sue!" Abby sneered at Quinn. "Girls are no longer shipped off to special schools like lepers...just cause they happen to be pregnant. " She shook her head. "And just for the record, the smacking with rulers were way back in the days of Laura Ingalls Wilder...if that ever happened nowadays, I tell you..."

"Of course, of course, Miss know-it-all!" Quinn snorted, shaking her head in mock deference to Abby.

In response, Abby threw a cushion at Quinn who retaliated by flinging another cushion at Abby.

"Uh, I don't think none of this is helping," Jenny stated, trying to stay clear of the pillow fight.

"How could I have been _so_ stupid?" Olivia suddenly wailed, startling her four friends. The pillow fight was instantly over."How, how?" she held her temples with the palms of her hands in a desperate gesture as reality hit her with the force of a hurricane. It was as though her brain had suddenly woken from a long comatose state. How could she have given in and let him get away with NOT using protection, accepted his lame excuse that it 'just did not feel natural'. Heck, he'd even sweet talked her into thinking that he would be by her side no matter what happened...and that it would be okay since they would get married once she graduated from high school.

She had wanted to believe in her boyfriend's promises more than anything. And then when the stick turned positive, she had romanticized the situation; convinced herself that it would actually be great to have a child of her own, give it all the love and attention she never got... and who would love her back unconditionally (although she didn't become fully aware of this last part until many years later). Both of her parents had been too wrapped up in their own careers when she was young and then to put the icing on the proverbial cake, she felt abandoned once again when she lost her mother a few years ago.

But of course, she had never expected for her dreams to come tumbling down like a house of cards.

"Livvie, Livvie, what are you thinking?" Jenny asked somehow sensing that Olivia who had grown quiet again was in the midst of making a crucial decision. "What are you gonna do...?"

**A/N:**

About Olivia nursing Claire's baby. In most developed nations and particularly in the United States, nursing a child other than one's own is often seen as culturally squeamish. Under ordinary circumstances, Olivia would have never considered it, but extraordinary circumstances do often require extraordinary measures. Often, in this story, I've tried to explore what it would be like to no longer be able to rely on our modern conveniences and devices which limit our connection to others? What will we do when all we have is our selves (knowledge, feelings) and our human instincts to guide us?

From Wikipedia, about wet nurses:

The practice is ancient and common to many cultures. It has been linked to social class wherein monarchies, nobility or upper social classes regularly employed wet nurses.

Following the widespread marketing and availability of artificial baby milk, or or infant formula wet nursing went into decline after World War II and fell out of style in the affluence of the mid-1950s. Wet nurses are no longer considered necessary in developed nations and, therefore, are no longer common.

_AND on a lighter note:_

_It's time for some shameless self promoting:_ **For news about my other (new) fic, visit my newly updated profile page :)**

_**Thank y'all for your continued support for this story.**_

_**Please, don't forget to review, it helps with inspiration!**_


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: _Cl__eo:_** Thank you for your feedback. In answer to your question, yes, a woman does not need to be nursing in order to be a wet nurse. Adoptive mothers have been able to nurse their infants or so I've read.

* * *

A week later.

Fitz wiped the sweat off his brow and sighed.

In the last few days, there had been several expeditions to find Claire who had mysteriously disappeared five days ago: After she had somewhat recovered from her illness, she had wandered into the woods and never came back.

"Fitz," Olivia sighed as she helped him pack his backpack. She couldn't help but feel anxious about this new expedition. There was no telling when she would see Fitz again. Their intention was to tour the entire island by foot which meant he could be gone for days at a time. "Please be careful," she said with a heavy heart. "This island seems to have a knack for making people disappear without a trace." Jack had been gone for some many weeks now that no one had any hopes of finding him alive.

"I know...that's why we've got to search for Claire now...while we still have a chance to find her safe and sound." Fitz replied vehemently.

In an attempt to to get his full attention, Olivia put her hand on the crook of his arm. "Let me go with you." attention.

Fitz shook his head. "We've already gone over this..." he glanced over at Aaron who was sleeping comfortably in a little bassinet that one of the survivors had carved out of wood. "We can't take him out into the jungle, that would just be dangerous and irresponsible."

Olivia bit her lip, feeling conflicted. Now that Claire was gone, Aaron completely depended on her for nourishment...without her, he would starve.

"Besides," Fitz continued, "I need someone to stay here in charge while I'm gone..."

"I'm sure that Sayid or Kate would..." Olivia insisted a little less adamantly.

"Kate is coming with us. We need her tracking skills in case we're lost," Fitz added the last statement all too aware of Olivia's uneasiness. Overtime, he had become aware that Olivia's reservations regarding Kate. "And Sayid...he's still working on the transmissions," he put his arms around her shoulders. "Liv, it's going to be okay, trust me...I need you to stay here. I want you to take charge. You can do it," he concluded in no uncertain terms.

Olivia followed him up the clearing where he stopped to say good-bye, she threw her arms around him, and hugged him for the longest time.

"It will be okay, Liv," he tried to reassure her once again.

"Oh, Fitz!" she gave him a hopeless look, stepping back some and with her arms still looped firmly around his neck. She was going to miss him so much, plus she had a nagging feeling...she just couldn't explain it. She closed her eyes for a moment, swallowing the huge lump in her throat.. When she opened them again, she was vaguely aware that everyone around the camp was staring at them with curiosity. She cleared her throat, and said, "I have something very important to tell you."

Everyone stood frozen, all conversations halted, highly intrigued by the urgency in Olivia's tone.

Fitz cocked his head and his lips turned into a half smile. "What is it, Olivia?" Fitz asked kindly, not at all self-conscious at being the center of attention in what appeared to be such a personal matter.

"I...I" Olivia took a deep breath and blinked back the tears that were threatening to come down like a storm, catching her by surprise. It was so unlike her to be so emotional. "I love you," she whispered staring intently into his eyes. There, she said it and the world did not come to an end. "I love you," she stated again, this time her lips curving into a sweet smile.

For a moment, Fitz shook her head, thinking maybe he was dreaming. "I love you too," he beamed, drawing her back into his arms and hugging her tight.

Everyone cheered in unison, some even broke into an spontaneous applause.

"Well... okay. You be careful! You hear?" tears rolled down her cheeks, not really caring that everyone was watching. "Don't forget that I love you, Fitzgerald Grant," she whispered in his ear.

* * *

The next day.

"She has acute asthma. She doesn't want anybody to know, for some reason she's always been embarrassed. I'm told her there is nothing to be ashamed of, you know. But she's stubborn," Boone explained to Sayid. "She needs a new inhaler, she had extra ones packed in her bags...so then I went to see Sawyer..."

"So he jumped you just cause you wanted to get medicine for your sick sister?" Sayid shook his head in disbelief.

"Well, I knew it was him. I saw him with Shannon's book. She had packed that book in her suitcase along with her extra inhalers. So if he has her book, he has the inhalers," Boone concluded in no uncertain terms.

Later, Boone and Sayid confronted Sawyer about the inhalers but were unsuccessful in their attempt to get him to admit he had the inhalers.

So they waited until Sawyer was asleep in his tent to whack him in the head and then drag his unconscious body to the woods. Once they got to a field of bamboo, they tied him to a tree with his hands behind his back.

"Well, ain't you brave jumping a guy while he's napping," Sawyer sneered at them, after Sayid woke him up by splashing water on his face. "Uh-oh, I'm in trouble now, " he mocked.

"I'm giving you a chance to do the right thing ," Sayid spoke in a slow tone, enunciating every word. "Tell me where the inhalers are and we'll stop." He moves to start making sharp bamboo spikes out of bamboo sticks. "We do not have bamboo in Iraq, although we do have something similar, reeds. But their effect is the same when the shoots are inserted underneath the fingernails."

"You know what I think, Ali?" Sawyer hissed. "I think that you've never actually tortured anybody in your life."

Sayid gave him a chilling half smile. "Unfortunately for us both, you're wrong."

"That's it? That's all you've got?" Sawyer scoffed. "Splinters? No wonder we kicked your ass in the gulf war!"

Sayid's face contoured into an evil grin, his adept fingers ready to insert the bamboo shoots into Sawyer's fingernails.

Right then, Boone and Sayid heard the rustling of leaves, startling them.

"STOP, STOP!" they heard Olivia's voice exclaim before she stepped into full view.

**A/N: **NOTE: In _Lost, _Sayid does torture Sawyer with the excuse of getting Shannon's asthma inhaler. Except that no one comes to his rescue and Sayid is given carta blanche. In a way, Sayid is sort of like Huck in that they both have similar backgrounds.

So this chapter was a little short. Umm...I wanted to get this one out ASAP. I must admit, right after I posted the last chapter I got the jitters thinking _gosh, what have I done? _(it didn't really hit me until after I posted it) regarding the whole thing with Olivia nursing Aaron. I thought maybe y'all would drop this story like a hot potato. My solution was to write this chapter in practically one sitting, :D

In case you're wondering, I have more planned for this story and outlines for the next 8 chapters.

_**Anyhow, if you've been reading this story **__**(AND still like it),**_ and have never reviewed, please let me know! It would mean a lot to me.

_** If you've reviewed before, also let me know :) Thank you,  
**_


	21. Chapter 21

******A/N: **I admit, last chapter was a bit rushed as I wrote it fast in one sitting. Normally, I don't post until _I've revised and revised._ So here I am, back with a _revised_ chapter :) **  
**

_Hold on to your hats!_

* * *

Kate strode alongside Charlie, trying her best to listen sympathetically. Charlie was a scrawny young fellow, blond, Australian and insecure. Although first and foremost, Charlie was a big time dreamer.******  
**

"Just cause you've got the baby blues doesn't mean you just take off like that and abandon your baby," Charlie stated adamantly. "There's gotta be something...I'm sure something serious must have happened... I know Claire, she's a good person..." he pursed his lips, his eyes full of emotion. "She loved her baby."

Kate looked away, her expression clearly revealing she wasn't so sure of Claire's intentions. She knew that Charlie was head over heels in love with Claire so she didn't want to burst his bubble. One thing seemed for sure, Claire seemed to care for Charlie only as a friend.

* * *

In light of his electrifying encounter with the polar bear a few weeks ago, Fitz kept constant watch over his surroundings whenever he ventured out into the jungle. In addition, he always carried the marshal's gun in the back of his pants, just in case.**  
**

For a while, he didn't talk much, content to listen to the others as they cut across the island. Somewhere in the background, he was dimly aware of the jungle noises: small reptiles rustling through decaying foliage and the occasional whistle of various birds.

Soon enough, a few steps ahead of him, Kate and Charlie were engaged in a lengthy conversation, and he found himself listening to John Locke who apparently had a lot to say.**  
**

"Me, well, I'm a man of faith," John Locke turned to Fitz sharply as they walked, " Do you really think all this is an accident? That we, a group of strangers survived, many of us with just superficial injuries? Do you think we crashed on this place by coincidence? Especially this place? We were brought here for a purpose, for a reason, all of us. Each one of us was brought here for a reason."

"So you believe there is a reason for everything," Fitz re-stated cautiously. They were walking side by side at this point

"The island. The island brought us here. This is no ordinary place, you've seen that, I know you have, " Locke studied Fitz intently, trying to gauge his thoughts. "It's destiny."

Fitz shook his head, disagreement etched in his expression. He didn't really believe in destiny as a pre-determined set of events but rather, he believed that we are the masters of our own destiny in that our fate all depends on the choices we make.

"Let me tell you something...I was a cripple, " he paused for dramatic effect and did not continue until Fitz stopped scanning their surroundings to meet his gaze. "Before I got on that plane I was in a wheelchair...and look at me now," he grinned from ear to ear. "I haven't told anybody...but right after the crash, I was a new man. My legs worked again after years of being handicapped. It was a miracle."

"Are you trying to say it had something to do with the island?" Fitz asked, incredulous. "If that's so...why did the Marshal die? " Suddenly, his mood lightened and continued talking without waiting for Locke's response. "I tell you what, so called miracles are just the result of the right set of circumstances at the right point in time. My father used to tell the story of a woman, a mother who's standing on a sidewalk, hopelessly choking. She had just swallowed a penny and it got lodged in her throat. Right then, a man in suit walks by and gives her the Heimlich...and out pops the penny. The woman says _'gosh, Doc, I can't thank you enough.'_ And the guy in the suit says, " Fitz chuckled and paused. _"Oh, no, I'm not a doctor, I'm from the IRS._ Then, the man snatched the penny and ran."

Locke's lips turned into a mile wide smirk. "Your dad appeared to have a good sense of humor."

"He told that story so many times, " Fitz went on, "I can recite it word per word in my sleep. Now... You may be wondering...What's the moral of the story?"

"Hmm...dunno..." Locke grinned again with added lightheartedness. "When you're choking, be sure to call your local IRS agent?"

Fitz smiled to himself. "More like the IRS will come to your rescue you as long as there's a good reason."**  
**

They continued to walk in silence for a few minutes.

"Did you ever hear about Walter Cronkite, the news reporter?" Locke said in an attempt to break the silence. In addition, he was also eager to tell his own tale.

Fitz shrugged. "What about him?"

"A keen sailor, he once steered his boat into a Maine port. As he drew near, he was pleased to see a small crowd of people enthusiastically waving their arms at him. He could barely hear their excited shouts of 'Hello, Walter! Hello, Walter!' As his boat approached the shore, the crowd grew louder and their greeting more determined. "hello, Walter, Hello, Walter!"

Fitz sighed and continued walking at a brisk pace.

At this point, Kate and Charlie slowed down their pace to listen to the rest of the story.

"Anyways, Cronkite tipped his sailor hat, absolutely delighted at the reception, waved and even took a vow," Locke continued with a smirk. "But before he reached port, the boat suddenly got stuck. The crowd was still. That's when he realized what the crowd had been shouting all along: shallow water, shallow water!"

Charlie let out a laugh. Kate and Fitz looked amused for a few seconds and then shook their heads as if to say, "oh, c 'mon!

"The moral of the story, you may wonder?" Locke half smiled at his audience, yet appearing most interested in what Fitz had to say.

"Uh, that's a tough one," Fitz started in a lighthearted tone. " How about...Don't get so wrapped up in your own ego that you lose track of what's under your nose."

"Close...how about don't let your ego stand in the way of the truth." Locke simply replied no longer smiling. "On the surface, they may appear the same but there is a subtle difference."

Right then, the group reached a clearing, an ideal spot for a rest.

Fitz rolled his eyes and attempted to disengage by keeping to himself. He was not really in the mood for philosophical discussions. He'd only humored Locke because he had nothing better to do at the moment. Sitting on the nearest rock, he unzipped his backpack to retrieve his water bottle. He drank half the bottle in a flash.

Locke sat down with his back against a tree in a sudden quiet mood.

Charlie sat down on a patch of greenery. Then, he started humming a tune. "C'mon everybody, c'mon everybody," he continued pretending to drum a guitar. "You all heard of Drive Shaft? I'm the lead singer," he proudly stated.

Kate arched her brow, cocked her head. "Drive shaft?" She set her backpack on the ground, yet remained standing.

Charlie's ego appeared a little deflated. "Yeah, my band is called Drive Shaft."

"Never heard of it," Kate shrugged.

Charlies's eyes brightened. "Well, y'know, Right now as we speak, Drive Shaft got it's first platinum record, as in a million units sold. Drive Shaft's albums must have spiked when everybody found out that I have died in some catastrophic plane disaster. " He continued to speak in his standard Australian Accent, his eyes dancing with excitement. "When I come back, alive, it's gonna be insane!"

Fitz cast them a sideways glance, dubiously and chimed in the conversation. "So you really think this draft they're building is gonna work, huh?" He asked while putting his water bottle back in his backpack. He made a mental note to pace himself: he only had six water bottles left and they were now deep in the jungle, far away from the caves. They might have to shorten their expedition and head back regardless of whether or not they found Claire.

"Of course it'll work..." Charlie's voice became increasingly animated. "It's not a raft; they're building a sodding boat! When they get picked up, the helicopters will come, making us ridiculously and eternally famous! Charlie's gaze shifted between Kate and Fitz who shook their heads and rolled their eyes in unison. "What's the matter? Don't you wanna be famous?" he asked, focusing on Kate, wanting her to agree.

"All we got is some bamboo and the seats from the fuselage. ...but really what are the odds of surviving in rough waters...in the middle of the ocean for God knows how long?" Fitz pondered.

Kate frowned. "Sooner or later we're bound to find a shipping lane..."

Fitz peered at Kate long and hard. Only four of the survivors were to sail on the raft. "I heard you're one of the volunteers." He shook his head. This was non-sense, a complete suicide mission in his opinion. "What are you gonna do once you run out of food and water?"

Kate pursued her lips. She really didn't want to think about that. "All we need is some optimism here," she stated with a fierce look of determination.

Suddenly, a flicker of sunshine caught Kate's eye: it pointed to something stuck between the branches of a tree, slightly above eye level. She would have missed it, her brain would have been tricked into thinking it was part of the vegetation, had it not been for the light reflecting off it at that precise moment in time. Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach plummeted like an elevator dropping fifty floors.

"J...Jack," her voice was thin and muffled as though she was a patient on her deathbed struggling to speak through an oxygen mask.

Following her gaze, Fitz spotted a lone tennis shoe wedged in a redwood tree.

Kate sprinted forward but then reached for the shoe tentatively, as though it was a poisoned creature. "Jack!" She turned to the others adamantly waving the shoe in her hand. "IT'S JACK'S!" She shouted, visibly shaken.

And then they heard it.

A slow crescendo at first, the rumbling of leaves. Then, the atmosphere seemed to suddenly change from hot, humid and sunny... to windy and gray.

The noise was eerie, very much like the rumbling empty stomach of a wild beast. Deafening.

But it was definitely not an animal, Fitz decided, sprinting to his feet, making a 360 degree turn to access their surroundings. With a single minded motion, he eased his hand behind his back to the waistband of his jeans and drew his weapon.

And then he saw it.

They all stood frozen in time.

"Oh, bloody hell!" Charlie yelled. "It's coming, it's coming towards us!"

It was a thick cloud of black smoke heading directly towards him, the head of which appeared shaped like a long skinny hand... menacing, _beckoning..._

The hair on the back of Fitz' neck stood up and the blood in his veins turned to ice as he watched the black smoke gaining momentum by the second. His jaw dropped, his senses wide alert and listening.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that his weapon was as good as useless.

He ran, vaguely aware that the others were already running in different directions.

In their blind haste, Locke and Charlie stumbled over branches and foliage and were no where in sight.

Fitz finally caught up with Kate who was running like a mad woman, and took her hand to guide her in a different direction. His heart thundered in his chest, becoming louder with every step.

Up ahead, he sighted a safe haven: a series of tree stumps, behind tall bamboo poles surrounded by vines.

Once they were safely cocooned by the tree stumps, Kate squeezed her eyes shut, her body shaking uncontrollably.

"What the heck?" Fitz murmured as they both struggled to control their breathing. Whatever that thing was more than simply a cloud of black smoke...it seemed to have some kind of intelligence, if you will...or at least some kind of unequivocal purpose.

Kate drew her index finger to her lips, her eyes wide like saucers. "Shh..."

Right then, they heard an echoing howl and saw a bright light in front of the cloud of smoke just a few feet away, just watching them.

Then, suddenly, inexplicably, the cloud of smoke retreated back to wherever it came from.

They stayed still for the longest time, until they were absolutely sure it was safe to come out from the nest of tree stumps.

"We gotta find Locke and Charlie...which way you thing they went?" Fitz wondered, his eyes sharply scanning their surroundings.

But Kate did not respond. In fact, she did not appear to be listening.

By the time Fitz turned to glance back at her, she was gone.

"Kate! Wait!"

Kate continued moving through the jungle at a brisk, frenzied pace, holding onto Jack's shoe. At one point, she let the shoe drop to the ground. "He's...he's somewhere around here..." she bit her lip, stopping for a few seconds, pressing her temples with the palms of her hands. "Over there!" she pointed, aware that Fitz was right behind her. All of a sudden, her eyes appeared ghastly.

There was an unmistakable rancid smell in the air.

"Stay!" Fitz commanded, his eyes gazing straight ahead.

Kate immediately fell to her knees.

Fitz plodded slowly until he reached a steep drop, no natural embankment. Nothing to stop someone from going over the edge.

Nearly five minutes passed before a deflated Fitz made it back to the same spot where she'd left Kate (she was still kneeling low on the ground). He stopped moving as soon as he made eye contact with her. He swallowed, before shaking his head almost imperceptibly.

One look was all it took for Kate to understand. Her wails soon followed.

She sounded like a poor wounded animal. "JACK, OH, JACK!" With renewed energy, she started running towards the precipice.

Fitz swiftly caught her in his arms before she got very far. "It's gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay," he repeated his voice firm yet soothing, holding her by the shoulders until she was relatively calm.

Kate gave fitz a long look, blinking off the long curls that framed her face in disarray. Sobbing, she held his face between her palms, placing a tentative kiss on his lips.

Fitz pulled back, surprised. For a few moments, he remained mute, gazing at her with fathomless gray blue eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Kate cried, lowering her lashes with sudden coyness. "Believe me, it won't happen again!"

Fitz peered back with steely eyes. "It can't...it can't happen again." He took a few steps back, his hand repeatedly rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm in love with Olivia."

**xxxxxxx**

**A/N:**

Sorry about Jack, he was a necessary casualty, I'm afraid. I did not go into much detail about what happened to him purposely. Like a said before, deaths in this story will be kept to a minimum and only when absolutely necessary.

** About Kate kissing Fitz: _DON'T FRET! Her actions are more a reflection of her needs...and NOT Fitz! _**

**_I wonder what she'll try next...or do you think that she got the message loud and clear: Fitz is not interested?_**

**_Your comments are like gold: very much valued :)_**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N:  
**

One of you awesome guest reviewers said in your review of last chapter that Kate should find Charlie and make out with him, :D

That line had me laughing forever, haha :)

_NOTE: This chapter picks up where chapter 20 left off with Sawyer tied up to a tree and with Sayid about to torture him._

* * *

Olivia approached them cautiously her eyes glued on Sayid who was holding a sharp bamboo shoot in his hand. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"He's got Shannon's inhaler and refuses to give it up, " Sayid said as way of an explanation, snapping the stick against the palm of his hand.

Olivia had just been with Shannon and yes, she had to agree that the girl was suffering from an acute attack. However, Sun had been able to ease some of her suffering by giving her some herbs which had helped regulate her breathing to a certain extent. Of course, Sayid didn't know this...and of course, she figured it would be best for Shannon to be given the actual asthma medication, nonetheless.

"Who says he's got the inhaler?" Olivia peered at Sawyer who had been watching them intently with a smirk on his face as though he thought the whole thing was amusing.

"Muhammad here is judge and jury. " Sawyer sneered, furrowed brows into a deep scowl. "Didn't y'all see him meditating on Mount Hira...called by God himself to be the supreme executioner of right and wrong."

Sayid's face was brimming anger. Ordinarily, he was pretty even tempered but to have his religion insulted was simply unforgivable.

Olivia step in his path. "So, he's got a big mouth. What? you're gonna kill him for that?"

"No...I will not kill him, " Sayid began, veins in his neck throbbing, clenching the bamboo spike onto the palm of his right hand. "I was a republican guard for 5 years," he stated with a clench yaw, speaking solely for her ears. "Part of my training was to get the enemy to communicate. Just get me 10 minutes...and believe me, " his eyes darkened with determination, "he'll talk... he'll give us the medicine."

"NO! You can't do this, !" Olivia stepped in his way once again as Sayid attempted to get around her. She glanced at Boone who was standing idle. She realized at once that he didn't want to get involved. If she was going to fight against Sayid, she was on her own. "Look, whatever I did to you...you gotta put it behind you," she started, thinking that a distraction was what she needed to buy herself some time. "I'm thinking I met you before...sometime before our meeting in Australia," she hoped that she wasn't grasping at straws here and that her suspicions were indeed correct.

Sawyer and Olivia exchanged a glance. "You gonna let _Queen Artemisia_* fight your battles for ya, boy?"

"Shut up, Sawyer!" Olivia hissed. She was sick and tired of Sawyer's snide comments, if anything he was certainly making things much worse for himself.

"You need to go, you don't call the shots around here, " Sayid gave Olivia a nasty long look. "Besides, I'm sure there's some other places where you're the most needed..." he sized her up and down as though she was a curious object of interest. "such as tending to babies, for instance?

That was a low blow. Olivia lifted up her chin. Yes, she was a woman. That did not mean that she couldn't do it all: take care of a baby AND call the shots. After all, Fitz had left her in charge of the camp. Perhaps, she needed to remind Sayid of that.

For what seemed like an eternity, Olivia met his antagonistic gaze unwaveringly.

Oh, yes, she could be much better than hot-headed Sayid at making decisions for the greater good of the survivors.

"Stay out of my way!" Sayid roared in a tone that chilled Olivia to the core.

Still, Olivia held her own showing him she was not intimidated even though deep inside she didn't feel nearly as brave.

In a flash, Sayid was pushing the sharp bamboo shoots underneath Sawyer's fingernails more out of making a point rather than prying any information out of his victim.

Sawyer cried out, his face riddled with pain.

Sayid's sudden attack had taken Olivia by surprise as she hadn't expected it to happen right then."This is barbaric!" Olivia called out, outraged, once again looking to Boone to help her intervene. In response, Boone shrugged and looked away.

"Shannon's gonna be okay!" she shouted. "She's better now, I just checked on her!"

Sayid stopped for a second to think. "She still needs the medication," he stated in his typical Middle Eastern staccato tone.

"I know who you are!" Olivia countered. She needed to get through this man somehow. Even though she wasn't sure where she'd met him before, she had figured that most likely he had been the husband of one of her clients. "People get divorced all the time, you don't need to let it ruin your life!" she concluded in a somewhat patronizing tone.

"W-what are you talking about?" He looked at her genuinely confused.

"Okay, Okay...I'll talk," Sawyer spoke suddenly in a perfectly reasonable tone, taking both Olivia and Sayid by surprise, given that he wasn't being tortured at that precise moment.

"You'll talk?" Sayid turned to Sawyer, astonishment written all over his face. This was not how things normally played out in his line of work.

"y-yeah," he cleared his throat, "I will only talk to her," giving Olivia an almost imperceptible nod.

Sayid was momentarily speechless.

Olivia bit her lip. She wondered what Sawyer was up to.

"Very well then, " Sayid started as though it was some kind of business transaction. "Go ahead..."

Sawyer pursed his lips with a smirk. "Alone... I wanna talk to her alone."

Sayid motioned to Boone to follow him. "We'll be close by if you need us," he said to Olivia. "You've got only 5 minutes," he snapped at Sawyer who rolled his eyes in response.

Olivia nodded her head as if expressing her agreement even though she couldn't imagine what she would need Sayid for. As far as she was concerned, the man was a loose cannon.

"So you wanted to talk to me?" she murmured once her nerves had settled some, sitting on a log next to Sawyer. The Southerner seemed strangely relaxed given the circumstances... rather amused even. She briefly considered untying him, but then again, she thought he was more likely to reveal the inhaler's location in his current bound- to- a- tree- state. Wasn't he? Something didn't add up though. Why on earth would he rather be tortured than give up the inhaler? It's not like it was a precious commodity or something.

"You're a brave one, Queen Artemisia, I must say I'm impressed," he smirked, with a hint of mock reverence.

"Is this all a big joke to you?" Olivia shook her head in disbelief. "I don't get it...why don't you just give up the inhaler?"

Sawyer took the longest time to respond. In fact, he took so long that Olivia found herself repeating the question.

"I don't have it." he stated suddenly. "I never had it...got no idea where it might be."

A look of pure shock washed over Olivia's face. "I don't believe you! Why didn't you say something sooner then? Why let Sayid do his thing?"

"W-what and prove him wrong?" he raised his brows and tilted his head just so. "Look, princess. Everyone around here thinks they're better than me...but truth be told... it does make you wonder, doesn't it?"

"So...you...rather be tortured to prove a point? Makes perfect sense," she added the last statement with a touch of sarcasm. She shifted her position on the log, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. Her breasts were feeling particularly full and hard and her thoughts drifted to Aaron. It was time for a feeding alright. Plus, Sun had her hands full looking after the baby and Shannon. "Okay...just tell me where it is...promise I won't tell Sayid that you gave it up easily," her lips curved into a small smile.

Sawyer smiled back, his dimples showing. "Well...so you've got a sense of humor after all." But then, his smile faded fast as he considered his options. "I'm telling you the truth, princess."

Olivia shifted again, this time making a motion to stand.

"Wait," Sawyer said. "Can you do me a favor? Can you take a piece of paper out of my pocket and read it?"

Olivia hesitated. Was this some kind of a trick? Still, she did as he requested. She pulled out a folded piece of paper and started reading it out loud. "Dear Mr. Sawyer, you don't know who I am, but I know who you are and what you've done." Olivia furrowed her brow. The handwriting seemed that of a young child. "A kid? A kid wrote you a letter that you carry around in your pocket?"

"That kid...that kid was me. My name is not really Sawyer...I took his name. Sawyer is the name of the man who slept with my mother and con my parents out of their money. " he revealed all in one breath.

Olivia's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"My daddy couldn't take losing all his money. So he shot my mother and then killed himself. I was under the bed hiding when it happened."

"I...am sorry." _This was certainly the most heartbreaking story._...still, _Why was he telling her this now? _

"Later when I was 18, I vowed to find this man and make him pay for what he'd done. Turns out, I wound up going down the same path...conning rich ladies out of their money. So I decided to take his name...I was just like him...I became the man I was hunting."

"That must have been hard for you," Olivia replied, still thinking back on his tragic childhood. She couldn't help but feel loads of sympathy for him.

* * *

Later, Olivia went to Sayid and Boone who were literally just around the corner.

He doesn't have it," she told Sayid in an icy tone.

"What?" Sayid gave her a piercing stare.

"The medicine. He doesn't have it, he never had it."

"And you...you believed him?" Sayid sneered.

* * *

**A/N:**

This bit of information comes from website ancienthistory about dot com.

_*Artemisia,_ queen of Herodotus' homeland of Halicarnassus, gained renown for her brave, manly actions in the Greco-Persian Wars' Battle of Salamis. Artemisia was a member of the Persian Great King Xerxes' multi-national invading force.

COMMENTARY:

Dear readers: I sincerely hope you're enjoying this story.

Although in this chapter we learned about Sawyer's background, we have yet to learn Sayid's backstory. And of course, we don't know yet what happened to Olivia when she was fifteen. You know how in the beginning I mentioned that in ALL my stories, a certain element of mystery creeps in even when they don't initially start out that way?

Anyhow, some readers do appear to enjoy these little mysteries (for the lack of a better word) and the turtle paced reveals while others may not _(yeah, well, hurry up and tell us what happened already_). Hopefully, though, you will stick around for this story. I still have a lot planned. The big reveals are just around the corner, plus it will all pay off in the end: _trust me._

_YOUR COMMENTS ARE LIKE GOLD: they are priceless and keep me motivated. _


	23. Author's note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE **

**10/1/2014  
**

Hi, everyone:

Something happened with chapter 23. Thanks Oceans00711girl for alerting me.

Probably me making some edits after posting chapter 23 (I do that sometimes after I post) and somehow uploaded the wrong chapter in its place. Or it could be a glitch somewhere.

I don't know if this is going to mess things up (in terms of numbering) but this chapter is now a place holder and to view chapter 23, you will need to click the next button.

I thought it would be best re-post it as I couldn't simply delete it and replace it. Thus, for those of you getting e-mail alerts it will just be chapter 24. I decided to do it this way since I don't know how many of you got to view ch. 23 before the system messed up.

If you've already viewed ch 23, let me know,

IMPORTANT:

**I can fix the numbering of chapters later on after everyone has viewed the chapter and reviewed by deleting this note. If you're going to review, after you read it, please come back and review chapter 23 on this page, then when I write ch 24 it will be on the next page. Sorry, I really hope this is not too confusing. If you're confused, no big deal...still go ahead and review where you see fit. **

_THANK YOU for all your reviews, favorites and follows, they really mean a lot to me. I love them all. All reviews are treasured, no matter how short.  _


	24. Chapter 23

**A/N:**

_Cleo:_ I agree that the letter in Sawyer's pocket should have been history by now, but I'm not making this up. indeed, legend has it that the note was in fairly good condition that many years later :) _Lorenemichelle41, Umusarah, Kbrow, OliviaKuhns.18 :_ I can't thank you enough for your continued support and PM's. _Scotchsista__:_ Thanks for your message.

**_Thank y'all for your reviews & amazing support for this fic._** The feedback received for the last chapter both positive and negative was very useful to me. Guest reviewers: thank you for your comments. One of you wrote a long review to which I would have liked to respond in a private message as I do have a lot to say (_Surprise!_), can't do it here as my notes are already overly lengthy. I'm working hard on this, believe me! _I know I tend to get carried away sometimes, so thanks for your patience._

_About this chapter:_

Please keep in mind that this fic is loosely based on LOST events, we're only skimming the surface of such a complex show. Further, **This fic is about Olivia and Fitz ****(that is, everything important in this fic is relevant to them).**...and NOT about island mysteries. To attempt to do both would be overly-ambitious for an aspiring writer like myself ...plus, _what would be the fun in that?_

* * *

NOTE: _this chapter resumes where chapter 21 left off._

As it turned out, the events that took place during the next 16 hours happened so fast that Fitz felt as though he'd been watching a movie unfolding at a mind boggling pace; one of those movies that you just can't stop watching not even for a second because if you do, you might miss an important detail...or two.**  
**

It all started with Locke making an astounding revelation soon after Fitz and Kate had found him and Charlie resting under the shade of a tree.

"I've got a confession to make," Locke announced as cool as a cucumber, slicing a mango with his knife and eating the wedges one by one. "The other day, Boone and I found a place...a hatch of some sort...it goes to a lower ground level but we can access it around the back of a mound."

Fitz hesitated. Their mission no longer seemed to be about finding Claire. If they went back in the direction of the so called hatch they would actually be closer to the survivors on the beach than to the other side of the island.**  
**

His hesitation turned to indignation when he fully realized the implication. It seemed that this hatch, was a fully furnished place equipped with all the modern conveniences one could hope for.

The fact that Locke had kept this little nugget of information to himself made him want to strangle him.**  
**

Nonetheless, his curiosity was greater than his anger and thus, in the end, the whole group followed Locke down the yellow brick road.

They finally arrived at nightfall, completely exhausted, and looking forward to a hot shower and a nice place to rest.

"Perfect place to spend the night," Locke concluded with a wide smile, just as they arrived in front of a heavy metal door. Then, he let himself inside and flicked on the lights as though he owned the place.**  
**

The hatch was absolutely phenomenal; it had four spacious bedrooms, a kitchen, home gym and other impressive living spaces.

Kate ran her finger through the dining table, checking for dust. "Remind me to leave a tip for the housekeeper," she chirped.

The main attraction, however, was a vintage computer monitor (encased in a heavy white frame) sitting in the middle of the living room. The group flocked to it at once, hoping it could be a source of communication with the outside world.

Charlie was the first to try and type various commands followed by the enter key. Nothing happened. "Bloody hell?" He frowned, confused. The PC monitor displayed the numbers 4, 8 ,15, 16, 23 and 42 flashing in green. A blinking cursor punctuated the last number. "What do those numbers...?"**  
**

"It's probably broken," said Kate, "It's like what...50 years old?"

Fitz tried shutting down the computer and re-starting it several times, but the same screen came up again and again with the numbers flashing.

"Um...Those numbers must mean something," Locke observed, rubbing his chin.******  
**

"Maybe they're the combination to a safe," Kate joked."We're about to become millionaires," she flashed Fitz one of those coy/flirty smiles she reserved just for him.******  
**

Fitz ignored her. "We'll stay here tonight and in the morning we'll go back to camp and tell everyone." Fitz declared, giving up on trying to work the computer, thinking it was too old to be able to access the World Wide Web anyway. Fitz couldn't wait to see the look on Olivia's face. He missed her so much that it felt as though they'd been separated for weeks and not merely a little over twelve hours.**  
**

"This place has enough food to feed us all, there is a cellar behind the laundry room," Locke informed them. "But we can't bring everybody here...it will be chaos, people helping themselves and squandering and fighting..."

"So now we're the ruling class here?" Kate replied, her voice brimming with disapproval.

"I think we're all done listening to you," Fitz peered at Locke with disdain. "You lost that right when you decided to keep this place a secret." Then, he turned to Kate, "There's always going to be a ruling class, my dear...the question is really whether those in power rule with justice for all..."

"Justice for all? Is that really possible?" Kate sneered. "As long as there's government, people will sooner or later start a revolution."

Fitz frowned. "I don't think you know what you're talking about here."

The tension in the air could be cut with a knife.

"Hey, everybody...I don't know about you, but I'm starved..." Charlie cut in, hoping to steer everyone in a different direction. "I'm looking forward to some beer!" **  
**

Fitz gravitated toward a room which held a huge wall bookcase while the others helped themselves to some canned food and drinks. The bookcase held books, a wide assortment of old records, and a record player.

Charlie and Kate soon followed enjoying a couple of candy bars while Fitz continued to focus on the books.

"Oh, Gosh...these are old! And huge! " Kate chuckled, taking a Beatles vinyl record and dropping it on the turntable. "They're like over-sized dinner plates!" she added while grabbing the needle and carelessly letting it drop on the round black disc which resulted in a loud booming sound.**  
**

"Hey, be careful with that!" Charlie protested, waving the sleeve to the record. "you're gonna scratch it! Hey, these records are classics, you know...this right here is the Beatles Collection Volume 5 from the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band! "**  
**

Kate rolled her eyes at Charlie.

Lennon and McCartney started singing:

_You say you want a revolution, well, you know we all want to change the world..." _As if on cue, the record started skipping._ "Don't you know it's gonna be all right? All right, all right! All right, all right, all right!"_

Out of the corner of his eye, Fitz spotted a book that on the surface seemed like it belonged to a set of leather bound books. Yet when he picked it up it was incredibly light as it was one of those fake books used for decoration. When he opened it, he found a few miscellaneous papers and a Polaroid of a young black couple posing for the camera with their arms around each other. On the back of the picture, someone had written in ink: Maya, 1977.

Tucked at the bottom of the fake book, there was a blueprint of a place called the Looking Glass Station. It was the diagram of a moon pool or platform which can be used for underwater explorations allowing researchers to lower instruments into the sea and which offered a submarine docking area for submarines to enter and or leave the water in a protective environment. Fitz searched his mind regarding what he knew about the subject, paying particular attention to the think power supply cord that went into the moon pool.

Later as the group got ready to settle down for the night, Locke called everyone into main living room and played a tape on a black and white TV set. He'd said the tape had been inside the VCR player and that he'd only viewed it once.

Fitz couldn't help but stare at the screen, fascinated. As the video started playing, there was that same logo filling the TV screen which matched the one he'd seen printed on the diagram of the Looking Glass station.

An Asian man started a black and white presentation in standard American English:

_"The DHARMA Initiative was created in 1970, and is the brainchild of Gerald and Karen DeGroot, two doctoral candidates at the University of Michigan. Following in the footsteps of visionaries such as B.F. Skinner, they imagined a large-scale communal research compound where scientists and free-thinkers from around the globe could pursue research in meteorology, psychology, parapsychology, zoology, electromagnetism..."_

Fitz and Locke exchanged a long puzzled look.

In the video, the Asian looking man kept on talking. "..._This station was originally constructed as a laboratory, where scientists could work to understand the unique electromagnetic fluctuations emanating from this sector of the island..."_

Fitz thought about this long and hard. If people from the Dharma Initiative were here on this island at one time or another they must have had the means to communicate with the outside world. All at once, everything seemed to click into place. He figured they had to find this Looking Glass Station which _had_ to be powered by a generator either in the moon pool itself or at a different location. For all he knew those people could still be on the island and the station could still be used to communicate with incoming submarines.

* * *

Early the next morning, the group left the hatch after packing their backpacks with cans, packaged food and drinks from the cellar.

About an hour into their journey back to the beach, they ran into two extremely thin women of medium height (one brunette and the other a blonde) who looked like a fright with their mud-caked clothing clinging to their bodies like a second skin.

At once, Fitz drew his gun at the two strangers that appeared seemingly out of nowhere and squinted his eyes, trying to peg them. Foes? Friendly? One could never be too careful. Nothing changed in their faces as though they had been expecting this encounter and the weapon was of no consequence...yet Fitz could sense their attention sharpening.

The brunette woman came forward and said: "I'm Cindy Chandler. We spotted you a while back and have been trying to catch up with you. We're from the tail section... flight 815."

"Where? Where are the rest of you?" Locke asked.

"That's it...There's only two of us left."

Fitz lowered his weapon, as recognition settled in, keeping it pointed at the ground.

"She was our stewardess," Fitz murmured, recalling her words on the plane: _"Our policy for serving alcohol is that all refills must be purchased with a credit card of your choice." _Refills on international flights had always been free and Fitz had resented this. _  
_

Locke regarded the women with intense scrutiny."How did you two survive?"

"How did you?" Cindy snapped back, cocking her head and giving him a long hard look.

"We can swap stories as we move along," Fitz said after a few moments, tucking the gun in the back of his jeans. "There is a whole group of us on the other side of the island," he continued taking long strides while the others hurried to catch up with him. "Anyway, one of us went missing... and now we're looking for this communication station..."Then, he went on to explain how moon pools are underwater habitats that have just the right combination of air and water pressure in their design to allow people to carry out basic human functions in a protective environment. "We believe it's about 2 miles north from here...once we get there, I believe we'll be able to phone home."

Cindy turned in front of the group smiled. "Come this way..." she veered her steps slightly northeast, claiming to know the way to the exact location of a power cable which happened to be on the beach on the opposite side of the island to where the middle section survivors had settled their camp.

The midday sun was relentless and they walked mostly in silence to conserve their energy, Kate handed the two women a couple of water bottles as they seem to be traveling with no backpacks or anything.

It didn't take them long to realize that Cindy was the leader and that the other woman, Libby, faithfully followed along without saying a word to the point that they all soon forgot she was there.

Soon enough, they reached the beach. There was power there drumming in the air even as the surf drummed on the rocks and a flock of seagulls circled the air as though they were leading the way. Fitz remembered reading somewhere that in Native American culture seagulls were symbolic of energy and freedom.

As they climbed down to the shore, Fitz thought of Olivia, missing her. He'd now wished that he'd let her come with him. And not for the first time he'd wondered what she would say about the latest developments. He wished he could run his ideas by her, certain she was the only one he could trust.

Fitz spotted the glimpse of a power cable partially buried in the sand. As he and Charlie pulled on it, they discovered that it ran all the way from the shore to the deep ocean.

In the meantime, Locke turned to Cindy and asked: "So...are there other people on this island?" She shrugged in response.

Fitz and charlie took their shoes off and swam alongside the power cable until it ended down into the ocean.

"I'm going down there..."

Fitz narrowed his eyes. "Hold on a second, not so fast!"

"I can do this. I'm a strong swimmer. I swear, I hold the record for holding my breath for up to four minutes..."

"I used to surf off the coast of California, and trust me...those California waves are nothing to sneer at," Fitz quickly replied...not that this was some kind of bragging session, but still..." seeing the fierce look of determination on Charlie's face, he added: "Fine...you go first. I'll follow right behind you."

Fitz dove under about a minute after charlie, after taking a moment to close his eyes and imagine Olivia's lovely face smiling at him. Even though he was a strong swimmer and had won a competition or two, uncertainty gripped his heart...

And in his mind he heard her voice saying "I love you."

And he felt like the luckiest man on earth.

And exactly two minutes later (after swimming under a metal roof of some kind), Fitz found himself in the middle of a square pool gasping for air.

"This way," he heard charlie say next to a short ladder that lead to a spacious platform.

In awe and still struggling to catch his breath, Fitz gazed at his surroundings, the bright lights surrounding the moon pool blinding him. In no time, he was moving about with his weapon drawn, certain that someone had to be guarding the place.

Meanwhile, Charlie ventured into a airtight chamber through a submarine style door.

Once inside, his eyes were immediately drawn to the keypad in the middle of the control panel that went along one wall of the cabinet in front of a TV monitor. Then, as a smile of recognition flashed across his face, he wasted no time keying in the numbers 4, 8 ,15, 16, 23 and 42**.**

He waited and waited. Nothing happened.

Then, as he turned to leave, a beeping sound very much like the beeping of an annoying ring tone stopped him on his track. A red light was furiously flashing on the control panel. Further inspection revealed the words 'incoming transmission' flashing in unison.

Much to Charlie's utter amazement, the TV monitor showed a black and white motion picture of a person coming in and out of focus, followed by a barely audible male voice. "Hello, hello?"

In a daze, he picked up a small silver microphone attached to the sound board. "Yes, I can hear you."

"Who is it? who am I speaking with?"

"I'm Charlie Pace. I'm a survivor of flight 815. Oceanic."

A man of color could now be clearly seen on the screen. "Where are you?" the man asked. "How did you get this frequency?"

"I'm on an island. " Charlie's voice soared with excitement. "There is a group of us, we survived and it's..."

"On an island? Where is the location?"

"I don't know. Who are you?"

The sound on the TV monitor became filled with static so that some of the words got cut off. "... Pope... I'm Olivia's father. Is she...is she okay?"

At once, Charlie sprinted to his feet and shouted Fitz' name.

"I got someone! I got someone!"

Fitz got to the chamber in a flash. His eyes widened at the sight of Eli Pope's anguished expression, larger than life, seemingly ready to pop out of the screen and step into the chamber at any given moment.

"Hello! I repeat... I'm Olivia's father. Is she okay?"

That face. In spite of the obvious aging that had taken place, Fitz immediately recognized him as the man from the photograph he'd found along with the blueprints for the Looking Glass Station. "She's okay..." he answered still in a daze. This was one hell of a coincidence. _Olivia's father? what were the odds? and the snapshot...how was that possible?_ "We're on an island somewhere in the Pacific...can you send us some help here?"

"I think I got it!" Eli Pope said triumphantly, his gaze dropping to what appeared to be a control panel on his side of the screen. "I think I got the coordinates...I'll be sending a boat and a helicopter right away!"

**A/N:**

Hang in there y'all, more twists and turns ahead!**  
**

From this point forward I will be taking more time to fully develop each chapter and thus updates for this fic will not be as frequent as they have been.** Just know that I'm not abandoning this story. **Thanks again for your patience.


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